(Picture caption: Broadcasting Corporation of Niue Lead Producer Esther Pavihi at a Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited conference. Photo: PCBL)
Eleven New Zealand-based Pacific producers will have the opportunity to collaborate and share their story with 10 Pacific-based broadcasters in the inaugural Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific Regional Media Fund.
Designed to encourage stories with a uniquely Pacific perspective, NZ On Air announced the $1.9 million fund last year, to be run in collaboration with Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), which is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The New Zealand-based producers will collaborate with their peers from the Pacific region to contest for funding and produce scripted or non-fiction screen content for Pacific audiences.
Selected content will then be broadcast in Aotearoa and via the Pasifika TV network across 15 Pacific countries.
Head of Funding at NZ On Air, Amie Mills says the initiative was borne out of a need to uplift Pacific creators here and in the region.
“Our aim is to foster stronger relationships in the wider region by bringing the best from both sides together to collaborate, learn from each other and produce dynamic, digital-first content that will resonate with Pacific audiences here and abroad,” Amie says.
The Pacific-based broadcasters and producers will travel to New Zealand for in-person workshops with their peers, before refining their content proposals.
From there, six of the Pacific screen content co-productions will be chosen for funding.
Chief Executive Officer of PCBL, Natasha Meleisea says the Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific Regional Media Fund complements the work the organisation does with Pacific broadcasters in the region.
“We provide equipment and training, and now this NZ On Air fund has provided an opportunity for Pacific producers to master their craft further,” Natasha says.
“Everyone involved is excited to see what these co-production partnerships can create.
“There is a wealth of stories in the Pacific just waiting to be told, and who better to tell them than the Pacific?”
As well as screen content, a portion of the fund has also been allocated to support the creation of original music by Pacific composers and musicians as part of the productions.