Covid-19 Response

Updated 20 April 2020

This page provides information on what Te Māngai Pāho is doing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Current Status

Our team is functioning at 100%. Te Māngai Pāho staff members are safe, well and working remotely from home right across the country, Tāmaki Makaurau to Ōtautahi.

In terms of our daily operation, we are particularly focused on the following:

• Communicating with and providing assurance to stakeholders.
• Processing milestone payments as quickly as possible.
• Adjusting our current funding approach to ensure we can respond with agility to COVID/lockdown project suggestions and deliver in a post-COVID environment.

COVID-19 Response

We are very conscious of the profound impact the current lockdown restrictions are having on the sector we fund. While our ability to throw more money at issues is limited, we are (and have been) able to work with producers to adjust contracted deadlines and deliverables where necessary. We are also trying to ease pressure and provide opportunities where possible.

Special Funding

Each Iwi Radio station has been provided with a $30,000 injection to assist with remote working and additional reporting during this time.

Commissioned Projects

So far, we have commissioned three ‘lockdown’ projects:

• Digital – Hahana’s ‘Covid content’
• Digital – Mahi Tahi Media’s ‘Te Kōkōmuka’
• Music – Loop Recordings’ ‘Stay - Tūtahi’ waiata project

Music

Music artists and industry are suffering from studios being closed and gigs/tours cancelled. Though we could never put up the kind of revenue those gigs would have generated, we are able to provide opportunities to artists who have the will and a way to keep recording or performing while at home.

For instance, 20 artists participated in the ‘Stay - Tūtahi’ waiata project and each was paid for their talent and time.  A second multi-artist music commission project is in the pipeline.

A ‘COVID Collaborations’ fund is also being established to support virtual writing collaborations. The programme will facilitate and fund the pairing of artists and songwriters to write reo Māori waiata for receptive audiences. An RFP will be made public shortly.

Regarding the mid to long term; our 2020-2021 music strategy will be published at the end of April. This comes after a final round of consultation with Māori artists and the wider music industry in February. It has also been adjusted to take into consideration the more recent impact of COVID-19.

Regular Rounds

Planned rounds will go ahead as announced. More information can be found here.

Open now:

• ‘Haoa te Rangatahi’ – a new innovative rangatahi focused funding round

           Closes Thursday 7 May, 5:00pm

Coming soon:

• Ihirangi Areare – Platform Agnostic Receptive Content (30% - 70% Te Reo Māori)

           Closes Friday 5 June, 5:00pm

Useful links and resources

For information on the government's response to Covid-19 go to https://covid19.govt.nz/.

For information on accessing the wage subsidy, whether for employees or self-employed contractors go to Work and Income.

For information on Health and safety measures to keep you and your workforce, Corona-virus free go to Worksafe.

Also, check out the Screen Industry Covid-19 Action Group website for more resources.

If you are a music artist who has had gigs cancelled please register at I Lost My Gig NZ.

For music artists needing well-being support check out MusicHelps.