MEDIA RELEASE

SPADA Statement On MEAA Vote
(7 March 2006)

SPADA is the New Zealand organisation representing producers and production houses in the independent film and television industry.

SPADA's deliberate position has been to remain outside of the process leading to this final MEAA vote and we respect the right of the new actors' member organisation to create its own policy.  

SPADA does have concerns about this move.  Our members are keen to understand how autonomous the NZ branch of MEAA will be, and, specifically whether a key platform is to seek to introduce and enforce a key policy plank and agreement of the US Actors Union, the Screen Actors Guild. This SAG rule is known as Global Rule 1 and is now in enforced in the screen production industries of Australia and Canada . Introduction into New Zealand of Global Rule 1 could mean that all actors who are engaged to work on a SAG affiliated production that will shoot in New Zealand , would do so under SAG terms and conditions.   New Zealand actors would be included in this agreement.
 
SPADA understands that the introduction of Global Rule 1 into the Canadian screen production industry has resulted in an increase of costs by 40 to 45%.
SPADA is concerned about the detrimental effect that an attempt to introduce this rule could have on the New Zealand screen production industry overall. This would be of major concern to New Zealand crew, service suppliers, facilities, location hires, infrastructure and producers alike.  It is also possible that prospects for New Zealand actors could be negatively affected by an introduction of this Rule as it is likely that any inflationary effect would mean that there would be fewer offshore productions inclining towards New Zealand as a shooting location.

SPADA recognises the reality that all New Zealand screen industry representative organisations are under resourced to be as effective as they could be on behalf of  their members.  SPADA understands that this lack of resourcing has been the major incentive presented to the NZ union membership and a key reason for the NZ union membership to have voted in favour of MEAA affiliation. We understand that MEAA have guaranteed their financial support for a two year period, therefore facilitating a full time Auckland office for the New Zealand membership.

We also note that the MEAA is an Australian union from a very different working environment than our NZ screen production industry and that both countries have very different regulatory and industrial frameworks. That an Australian union has now moved into NZ and has participation in New Zealand also raises the question of impacts that this may have for New Zealand industrial sovereignty.


ENDS