NZ screen industry: A tale of two regions

In 2009, the Auckland region dominated the New Zealand screen industry in terms of total revenue and number of businesses, while the Wellington region was ahead in post-production revenue, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Auckland’s contribution of $2.2 billion made up more than three-quarters of New Zealand’s screen industry revenue. While Auckland’s revenue declined by 6 percent in 2009, businesses in the Wellington region increased their overall revenue by 51 percent to $531 million, leading to a 3 percent growth in total industry revenue, to $2.8 billion. Wellington’s revenue growth was driven by a rise in production and post-production revenue, specifically in digital graphics, animation, and effects.

“Wellington dominated New Zealand film production in 2009, while Auckland remains top of television production,” business performance manager Gary Dunnet said.

Wellington overtook Auckland in revenue from feature film production in 2009. Revenue for feature films in Wellington grew by 70 percent to $429 million, while revenue earned for feature films in Auckland fell 42 percent to $220 million. Auckland, however, remained the highest earner in terms of television production in New Zealand, with $372 million. Wellington contributed $47 million to television production.

Locations of screen industry businesses are determined by using the reported physical location of each business. Active businesses are concentrated mostly in the Auckland and Wellington regions. These statistics as well as more information about the screen industry in other regions can be found in the Screen Industry Survey Regional Data for 2008/09 released by Statistics NZ today, available at www.stats.govt.nz.

Screen Industry Survey Regional Data for 2008/09 is the first time Statistics NZ has released a regional breakdown of data from the Screen Industry Survey. The survey is conducted annually and is posted to all businesses involved in various aspects of the screen industry. Full survey results will be published in August 2010.

Geoff Bascand
12 May 2010
Government Statistician

Statistics New Zealand: Screen Industry Survey Regional Data for 2008/09 - Media Release