As someone who has no Facebook or Twitter account – I am now posting my first blog response and to correct this SJ misconception as noted in the headline article = Joyce singled out …. Rob Tapert’s production shift to South Africa as a factor in the industry slump =

it is not RT who has taken work to South Africa or UK or any other territory for that matter – it is in fact STARZ – the funder of SPARTACUS that they brought to NZ in 2009 when the exchange rate was 0.5469 and the incentive was 15% – STARZ are currently in screen production in these territories for the TV series BLACK SAILS / SA and OUTLANDER / UK.

Why? The encouragement and packages that these Governments now promote in order to secure what they acknowledge to be an economically positive industry and asset – is the INCENTIVE.

While not in any way fairly mentioned, it is appropriate however to acknowledge his contribution = since 1993 RT has brought $787,649,180 of screen production into NZ (specifically Auckland) and 50% of this spend has been on labour alone.

Let’s move on >>>> In the 2012 MBIE Evaluation of the Large Budget Screen Production Grant 2004-2011, recommendations on page 77 0f 104 note that *internationally, Government incentives for large budget screen productions are now essential factors in pre-production decision making, that the (LBSPG) grant is likely to decrease its international competitiveness and attractiveness unless there are some adjustments to reflect changes in the global screen production industry, that the (LBSPG) grant successfully contributed to the increased capability and capacity of the NZ screen production sector and with spillover of screen technology to the domestic sector etc. etc. etc.

After a 2 year review process and including a late 2012 PM trip to Hollywood plus a subsequent and separate TV consideration, this Government has elected to hold the 15% and yet bring in minor and debatable tweaks such as a 4M threshold for TV and a reduction of PDV from 3M to 1M. Perhaps our sensible step is to go back to first principles and ask the Government (or their agencies New Zealand Film Commission or Film New Zealand) to remind us why this sector was valued in 2003 with the LBSPG ….. and what has changed 10 years later and after an entire industry sector rose to that 2003 challenge and stepped up and grew to the reputation and capacity that has been achieved = goal met = it seems to me that we have ‘failed’ by succeeding’. ?????????????