The New Zealand Screen Production and Development Association says Australia’s new streaming rules are reshaping the competitive landscape for screen production.

Unless New Zealand updates its own policies, it could risk falling behind, says the association.

On November 27, 2025, the Australian Government passed legislation introducing a mandatory Australian Content Requirement for subscription video-on-demand-services.

The new framework, which came into effect on January 1, requires major international streaming platforms to invest in Australian screen content.

A levy-based approach

The New Zealand Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA) says the regulation marks a shift from policy debate to real-world impact, with immediate implications for where global platforms invest, commission and develop projects across the region.

SPADA president Irene Gardiner says Australia’s approach mirrors policies already built into its domestic broadcasting system – settings that New Zealand does not currently have.

“Australia has gone for a quota system, because they already have local production quotas in place for free-to-air broadcasters. We don’t have that here*, so SPADA has advocated for a levy on the streamers’ New Zealand revenue**, which could then be invested back into local production via the screen funding agencies NZ Film Commission, NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho.”

Wake-up call

With Australia’s requirements now operational, Gardiner says the window for New Zealand to respond is narrowing as international platforms adapt to new investment obligations across the Tasman. 

“We are actively engaging with policy makers on the best way forward and the right settings to go for, but the time to strike is now, so we can leverage off what is happening in Australia.”

She adds that the contrast between Australia’s regulatory framework and New Zealand’s current settings highlights longstanding structural imbalances in how international streaming platforms operate locally.

“The streamers currently pay no tax in New Zealand, face no regulation and use broadband infrastructure that was partially funded by our Government.”

A chance to act now

The consequences of those imbalances are already being felt by local broadcasters and producers, as global streaming platforms continue to draw audiences and advertising revenue away from the domestic market, says Gardiner.

“As has happened globally, their negative impact on local viewership and therefore advertising revenue in the domestic market has been huge, which has created serious challenges for local production.”

Now that binding content requirements are in force in Australia, New Zealand faces a clear choice about its future competitiveness as a screen production market.

“With Australia moving ahead, New Zealand has a clear opportunity to act now. Delaying further risks long-term damage to local production, jobs and the ability to tell New Zealand stories on screen,” she adds.

Notes:

* Why New Zealand hasn’t imposed streaming content quotas: New Zealand’s international trade commitments make quota-based local content obligations on streaming platforms legally complex and vulnerable to challenge. Unlike Australia, which has long maintained cultural and audiovisual exemptions in its trade agreements, New Zealand did not include explicit cultural carve-outs in several of its deals. This limits New Zealand’s ability to impose mandatory local content quotas without risking trade disputes.

** Levy-style model: A levy-based approach – requiring streaming platforms to contribute a portion of their New Zealand revenue to domestic screen production – is widely regarded as the most viable mechanism for supporting local content under New Zealand’s current legal settings.