NZ On Air Funding 2026: Rounds, Music Grants and Odds

Grantsights' grant search and reports are built for US funders only, so there's nothing for New Zealand applicants to buy here. This guide is free and drawn from NZ On Air's own rules and records; if a New Zealand version of our tools would help, let us know you're in New Zealand.

If you're an artist rather than a producer, also read our Creative NZ funding guide: Creative New Zealand funds artists directly, while NZ On Air funds content made for New Zealand audiences on platforms.

Every NZ On Air Fund at a Glance (31 October 2026)

NZ On Air's funding page (opens in a new tab) lists four funding types plus requests for proposals and sector support. Here's each route as described on its page on 31 October 2026.

Source: NZ On Air fund pages and funding deadlines page, read 31 October 2026.

NZ On Air hadn't posted its 2027 music round dates when Grantsights checked. In 2026, New Music Single rounds ran roughly every two months; the Music funding page (opens in a new tab) is where the 2027 dates will appear.

How Hard It Is to Win: Screen Rounds

NZ On Air publishes a short overview with each round in its newsletter. Grantsights compared the four most recent, and the message is the same each time: requests run at two to three times the money available.

Source: NZ On Air newsletters of 6 August 2025, 25 November 2025, 14 April 2026 and 4 August 2026.

The genre detail is sharper still:

Source: same newsletters.

Three things stand out:

1. Scripted is a small, expensive pool. Only 8 to 10 Scripted applications come in each round, and 3 or 4 get funded at $2 million or more each. Returning series take a large share: Round Tahi 2026/27 funded new seasons of Ms X, Wellington Paranormal and Shortland Street.
2. Non-fiction is about a 40% to 50% shot. That's the most open door for new producers, especially documentaries and podcasts under $500,000.
3. NZ On Air says the squeeze is getting worse. Its chief executive wrote in August 2026 that "the level of declines felt particularly acute" in Round Tahi, and in August 2025 that platforms facing falling advertising revenue were asking it to fund series that used to pay for themselves.

Grantsights Analysis of NZ On Air Funding Decisions

NZ On Air's database is public and searchable. Grantsights analysis of the 101 Scripted and Non-fiction decisions from the three 2025/26 rounds (recorded July 2025, November 2025 and April 2026) found $79.5 million committed, with a median grant of $499,397. The middle half of grants fell between $288,533 and $1,078,297.

Grantsights analysis of NZ On Air funding decisions dated July 2025, November 2025 and April 2026, Scripted and Non-Fiction types, read 31 October 2026. Two records were for $0.

Same data, grouped by the "Primary Platform" field.

What the records show:

• Scripted grants are about three times the size of Non-fiction grants. The 21 Scripted grants above $0 had a median of $1,449,496; the 78 Non-fiction grants a median of $442,937.
• The biggest single grants are drama. A case in point: The Sweet Shop Entertainment received up to $3,250,000 for Dead Losi (TVNZ+), Blue Murder Production up to $3,220,000 for Blue Murder Motel 2 (TVNZ 1) and South Pacific Pictures Serials up to $2,500,000 for Shortland Street 35/2026 (TVNZ 2).
• YouTube is a real primary platform for children's content. Whitebait Productions received up to $2,299,846 for What Now 2026 on YouTube. NZ On Air notes YouTube isn't a commissioning platform, but it funds a small amount of children's and youth content for it.
• Smaller platforms win mid-sized grants. Podcasts and digital documentaries land in the $150,000 to $450,000 range: Ponsonby Productions received up to $252,610 for the Zombie Towns podcast (Newsroom NZ), and Tawera Productions up to $220,320 for Alien Nation - The Yellow Peril (RNZ).
• Journalism sits inside Non-fiction. According to the NZ On Air funding decisions data, Radio New Zealand received up to $1,562,304 for Local Democracy Reporting 2026, which NZ On Air says will grow from 17 to 22 reporters.

Music decisions. The same database lists, for decisions recorded July 2025 to June 2026, 150 New Music Single grants ($1.65 million), 20 New Music Pasifika singles, 11 New Music Kids singles, 15 Waiata Takitahi singles, 31 New Music Projects ($1.47 million, most at the $55,000 maximum), 5 New Music Project Kids and 21 New Music Project Touring grants ($531,085). Recent New Music Project grants include Ladi6 (up to $55,000 for a 2026 album) and Gin Wigmore (up to $44,000 for Beautiful Mess); touring grants include Bic Runga (up to $40,000) and The Veils (up to $30,000).

Platform funding dwarfs everything else. Decisions recorded in June 2026 for 2026/27 include up to $60,597,000 for RNZ, $4,836,300 for the Pacific Media Network, $4,802,000 for Able's captioning and audio description, and $1,800,000 for NZ On Screen and AudioCulture. These aren't contestable, so new applicants can't compete for them.

Music Funding: What Each Fund Pays and the Odds

Music is the most open part of NZ On Air, with no platform needed. According to the NZ On Air music funding data in its Year in Review 2025/26, it funded 214 singles across nine rounds, including 149 New Music Singles from 766 applications across five rounds (about 19%), and 49 New Music Projects including New Music Project Kids.

Source: NZ On Air Year in Review 2024/25 (music) and 2025/26.

Individual rounds run close to that average: 30 songs from 149 eligible applications in April 2026 and 25 from 137 in September 2026, according to NZ On Air's decision announcements.

New Music Single (up to $11,000). Up to $10,000 plus a mandatory 10% Artist Creation Fee, paid only in the final drawdown, according to the New Music Single page (opens in a new tab). The song must count as New Zealand music (3 of 5 yes answers in both sections of the checklist), and you must answer yes to at least 10 of 30 criteria benchmarks about your audience, track record, business set-up and plans. A budget on NZ On Air's template is required.

New Music Pasifika, Pan-Asian and Kids (up to $11,000 each). Focus rounds with the same amount. The Pasifika and Kids pages say there's no entry threshold, which makes them the easiest door for a first grant if you fit.

Waiata Takitahi (up to $15,000). Co-funded with Te Māngai Pāho for a bilingual single with at least 25% te reo Māori lyrics, supported by a poutiaki reo (language adviser). You need 5 of 25 criteria. It's open now and closes at 4 PM on 5 November 2026, with decisions due 4 December.

New Music Project ($11,000 to $55,000). For established artists recording an album or EP. The New Music Project page (opens in a new tab) says you must email an expression of interest at least two weeks before the deadline, and have a project manager and a third-party Aotearoa-based professional music company attached. Financial co-investment is no longer required, but you must show co-investment in things NZ On Air doesn't fund, such as touring or international release.

New Music Project Touring ($10,000 to $50,000). A pilot run with the NZ Music Commission for artists with a contracted, unreleased New Music Project. It pays up to 50% of eligible tour costs, from a $500,000 pool in 2026. The first round funded 20 of 36 applicants, according to NZ On Air's November 2025 newsletter.

The Platform Rule and Other Screen Requirements

The platform is the gatekeeper for Scripted and Non-fiction money. NZ On Air's General Guidelines for Applicants (updated July 2026) say every production application must include a commitment from a qualifying local platform: one that already attracts a significant audience, offers free access, puts in an adequate financial investment and has a track record of New Zealand content. A YouTube or social media release on its own usually won't qualify.

The commissioning platform page (opens in a new tab) adds the practical steps: the primary platform confirms its support in the NZ On Air portal within three working days of the deadline, secondary platforms give written confirmation, and platform cash in the budget is NZ On Air's preferred form of co-investment.

Other screen rules worth knowing:

• Under $50,000 is mainly for development. The guidelines say requests below $50,000 are primarily development applications; talk to a Funding Advisor first otherwise.
• Round priorities change each time. According to the Round Rua 2026 applicant guide, NZ On Air set aside about $10 million for Non-fiction, $8 million for Scripted, $5 million for tamariki and $1 million for rangatahi content, and gave Scripted priority to projects seeking $1 million to $3 million, with requests over $3 million needing prior written approval.
• Screen Production Rebate projects get priority. Recent rounds prioritised productions using the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate that need "last-in" finance.
• Unsupported development is limited. Round Rua accepted it only once per project, from a producer with at least one screen credit, and no more than two applications per production company.

What NZ On Air Doesn't Tell You

NZ On Air's guidance is detailed, but these points are easy to miss and cost applicants rounds.

1. Two declines and you're out. The general guidelines say that if an application has been declined twice, it can't be resubmitted without written permission from the Head of Funding, and a notable change to the content or business case is usually expected. Don't burn your second try on a half-ready proposal.

2. The platform's money decides more than the idea. A common mistake is pitching a strong idea with a token platform licence fee. NZ On Air says the level of platform cash will influence its decision, and 100% NZ On Air funding is approved only in very exceptional cases.

3. Costs before the round opens aren't paid. For music, costs are claimable only from the round's opening date. For New Music Project, NZ On Air is explicit that pre-production, recording, mixing and mastering done before that date aren't eligible, even if invoiced later. Recording first and applying afterwards fails.

4. Your money comes in stages, and some never arrives. NZ On Air releases funding in stages as contract milestones are met, and commitments not contracted within the set time are written back into later rounds. Plan cash flow so you aren't waiting on the final drawdown, where the Artist Creation Fee sits.

5. The database amounts are maximums. Every figure in the decisions database is "up to". Final payments can be lower.

6. Everything you send is subject to the Official Information Act, and the platform you nominate can see your full application.

7. AI use is assessed. NZ On Air has published separate guidance on how it assesses applications that use generative AI in songs and screen content. Read it before you submit if AI plays any part in your project.

Who Shouldn't Apply to NZ On Air

• Filmmakers making a cinema feature with no TV or streaming platform. The New Zealand Film Commission is the main feature film funder; NZ On Air only part-finances some films through its rounds.
• New producers with no platform interest yet. Start with content development or a smaller podcast or digital project with a platform that has a track record.
• New artists with no audience. New Music Project isn't designed for emerging artists, and New Music Single's 10-of-30 criteria screen out many first-timers. A focus round (Pasifika, Pan-Asian, Kids) or a Creative New Zealand development grant may fit better.
• New radio stations or platforms seeking operating money. Platform funding is closed to new applicants.
• Game studios spending under $250,000 a year. The Game Development Sector Rebate (opens in a new tab) needs at least that much eligible spending; it's a 20% rebate capped at $3 million a year from a $40 million-a-year scheme, and each studio applies once a year for spending from 1 April to 31 March. Smaller studios should look at our small business grants NZ guide.

How to Apply and Realistic Timelines

1. Register on the NZ On Air portal early. All applications are online; first-time applicants register first. Platforms must also be registered.
2. Read the round's Information for Applicants. It's published one to two weeks before each round opens and sets that round's priorities and money.
3. Join the webinar. NZ On Air runs an applicant webinar for each round; register by emailing funding@nzonair.govt.nz.
4. Lock in your platform, its cash contribution and any third-party finance before the deadline. Late applications aren't considered.
5. Wait about 10 weeks for screen decisions. Round Rua 2026 closed on 10 September with decisions due 20 November; Round Toru closes 28 January 2027 with decisions due 9 April 2027.
6. For music, wait about 4 to 8 weeks. New Music Single rounds close about four weeks before decisions; New Music Project closed 10 September 2026 with decisions due 3 November.

Realistic odds. Plan on one in five for a single, and roughly two in five for a Non-fiction screen project with platform backing. The honest read of these numbers: for a producer without a track record, a mid-sized Non-fiction project or podcast with a platform that already commissions that kind of work is the best bet, and a first Scripted series is a long shot.

Other New Zealand Funding to Try

NZ On Air is one of several national funders. For artists, our Creative NZ funding guide covers grants for individual practice. Community arts and broadcasting groups often get money from the Lottery Grants Board, and regional trusts such as Foundation North fund venues, equipment and community media projects in Auckland and Northland. For reo Māori content, Te Māngai Pāho runs its own funding through its Te Pūahatanga application system (opens in a new tab).

Sources Checked

All sources were read on 31 October 2026:

• NZ On Air: Funding (opens in a new tab), funding deadlines (opens in a new tab), Scripted and Non-fiction funding (opens in a new tab), funding rounds (opens in a new tab), applying for Scripted and Non-fiction funding (opens in a new tab), commissioning platform support (opens in a new tab), platform funding (opens in a new tab), Game Development Sector Rebate (opens in a new tab)
• NZ On Air music: Music funding (opens in a new tab), applying for Music funding (opens in a new tab), New Music Single (opens in a new tab), New Music Project (opens in a new tab), New Music Project Touring (opens in a new tab), Waiata Takitahi (opens in a new tab), New Music Pasifika (opens in a new tab), New Music Pan-Asian (opens in a new tab), New Music Kids (opens in a new tab)
• NZ On Air documents: General Guidelines for Applicants, updated July 2026 (opens in a new tab), Information for funding applicants, Round Rua 2026 (opens in a new tab), Investment Model 2026 (opens in a new tab)
• NZ On Air news: August 2025 newsletter (opens in a new tab), November 2025 newsletter (opens in a new tab), April 2026 newsletter (opens in a new tab), August 2026 newsletter (opens in a new tab), journalism funding release, 25 November 2025 (opens in a new tab), New Music Single decisions April 2026 (opens in a new tab) and September 2026 (opens in a new tab), Year in Review 2024/25 music (opens in a new tab), Year in Review 2025/26 (opens in a new tab) and its music page (opens in a new tab), funding data tracker (opens in a new tab)
• NZ On Air funding decisions database (opens in a new tab) (1,120 records dated April 2024 to November 2026)