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2026 Is Upon Us

While there has been a delay in the good weather arriving, it’s now back. At least for the moment where I’m sitting and writing this. In Auckland. It’s just one of the positives of the New Year. At the box office: Tinā is currently…
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So Where Do We Stand?

As we come to the end of 2025, it’s worth taking a look at where the NZ screen sector stands. Global market pressures have been buffeting the New Zealand screen sector for years, and our hair is a little more than tussled. Our industry…
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A Kōrero with Animation Studio Mukpuddy

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As a follow-up to this year's Animation Matchmaking series, DEGANZ's Izzi Hoskyn sat down with Ryan Cooper and Alex Leighton, two-thirds of the team leading Mukpuddy Ltd. Mukpuddy originated from humble beginnings in 2002, starting in a basement…
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People Have the Power

The Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand is both a guild and a union. We’ve been a union since 2019. The NZ Writers Guild started out as a union in 1976 and Equity New Zealand came into existence as a union in 1944. We three…
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There’s Nothing To Be Scared Of

Today, Thursday 22 October, it’s expected that more than up to 100,000 doctors, nurses, allied health workers, and primary and secondary school teachers will go out on strike. They are seeking better pay and working conditions, and better…
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A Kōrero with Director of Photography Simon Raby NZCS

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For this iteration of DEGANZ's new blog series, A Kōrero With..., Izzi Hoskyn spoke with Director of Photography Simon Raby NZCS. Simon is a freelance Director/Cinematographer with 45 years of industry experience. He works largely in feature…
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Scraped From the Internet

I’ve been writing View from the Top almost every two weeks now for the last ten years. With AI such a topical issue, I thought I would task AI to write the blog for me this week to see what it came up with. I gave it one prompt, and here’s…
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John Barnett CNZM, ONZM 1945 – 2025

Producer John Barnett was at the heart of the NZ film and TV industry pretty much from its formative years through to today. He’s made multiple films, documentaries and TV series, employing thousands of above and below the line people along…
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Cheer Up

The world is awash with bad news at the moment, whether it's the war in the Middle East, the planned shutterings announced by Heinz Watties and McCain in Hawkes Bay, or the lack of domestic and international production in Aotearoa this year. It’s…
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The Importance of Editing

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I remember the first director’s training session for TV I attended now many years ago. Our workshop facilitator, John Harris, who went on to establish production company Greenstone, told us that one way to think of directing was like shopping:…
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Cinema Still Has a Place

A couple of weeks ago, thanks to Madman Distribution, I got to watch the Cannes Jury Prize-winning Sirat, a French – Spanish coproduction helmed by French-born director of Spanish descent, Oliver Laxe. It’s the sort of auteur arthouse…
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DEGANZ Launches Editor Accreditation

The Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ) is proud to announce the establishment of the Aotearoa New Zealand Screen Editors (ANZSE) Accreditation for the art of editing. ANZSE Accreditation recognises a master editor…
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View from the Top banner

2026 Is Upon Us

While there has been a delay in the good weather arriving, it’s now back. At least for the moment where I’m sitting and writing this. In Auckland. It’s just one of the positives of the New Year. At the box office: Tinā is currently…
Read more
View from the Top banner

So Where Do We Stand?

As we come to the end of 2025, it’s worth taking a look at where the NZ screen sector stands. Global market pressures have been buffeting the New Zealand screen sector for years, and our hair is a little more than tussled. Our industry…
Read more

ANZSE Career Spotlights

Read about the illustrious careers of ANZSE-accredited editors.

Director Wade Shotter: How I Got Started in the Industry

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I was born curious and enjoy figuring out how things work, which is essentially what I still do today as a director. I drew a lot as a kid and wrote and illustrated comics at school. Art was always my focus, so it seemed like a natural progression…
Read more

Editor Jai Waite: How I Got Started in the Industry

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Editing - Cutting a Path I’ve been an editor for 17 years – and the majority of that is in the documentary space. For those that don’t know me, I am also a wheelchair user – the result of an accident 22 years ago. That hasn’t burdened…
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Director Chantelle Burgoyne: How I Got Started in the Industry

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Growing up in Auckland in the late 80s and 90s, the idea that filmmaking was in my future seemed like an impossible dream. On my mother’s side I come from an Afakasi German-Samoan family that migrated to NZ in 1965 and my father’s side…
Read more

Editor Shailesh Prajapati: How I Got Started in the Industry

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Go With The Flow My journey in the film, television, and performing arts industries was unplanned. However, my instincts have worked towards goals and dreams with a "Go with the flow" attitude. One day, I visited a dance academy called Darpana…
Read more

Director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh: How I Got Started in the Industry

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My family and I fled Iran for Aotearoa in the late 1980s due to war and an oppressive regime. As a six year old I was yelled at by teachers for not understanding English, so I set about reading and writing as much as I could to learn the language.…
Read more

Editor Luka Turjak: How I Got Started in the Industry

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I joined a children’s choir just after my 3rd birthday. That was in Yugoslavia, Zagreb, in 1983. Choir defined me as a person. I’ve learned early on we are all individuals with different needs, wants and perception, so listening is often…
Read more

A Kōrero With…

In this guest blog series, we speak to screen professionals to find out more about their job and what most people might not know, including those working in the industry. This blog offers an inside look into different parts of the industry and offers insights into how directors and editors can be successful in the collaborative process of their mahi.

Director Wade Shotter: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I was born curious and enjoy figuring out how things work, which is essentially what I still do today as a director. I drew a lot as a kid and wrote and illustrated comics at school. Art was always my focus, so it seemed like a natural progression…
Read more

Editor Jai Waite: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Editing - Cutting a Path I’ve been an editor for 17 years – and the majority of that is in the documentary space. For those that don’t know me, I am also a wheelchair user – the result of an accident 22 years ago. That hasn’t burdened…
Read more

Director Chantelle Burgoyne: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Growing up in Auckland in the late 80s and 90s, the idea that filmmaking was in my future seemed like an impossible dream. On my mother’s side I come from an Afakasi German-Samoan family that migrated to NZ in 1965 and my father’s side…
Read more

Editor Shailesh Prajapati: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Go With The Flow My journey in the film, television, and performing arts industries was unplanned. However, my instincts have worked towards goals and dreams with a "Go with the flow" attitude. One day, I visited a dance academy called Darpana…
Read more

Director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
My family and I fled Iran for Aotearoa in the late 1980s due to war and an oppressive regime. As a six year old I was yelled at by teachers for not understanding English, so I set about reading and writing as much as I could to learn the language.…
Read more

Editor Luka Turjak: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I joined a children’s choir just after my 3rd birthday. That was in Yugoslavia, Zagreb, in 1983. Choir defined me as a person. I’ve learned early on we are all individuals with different needs, wants and perception, so listening is often…
Read more

How I Got Started in the Industry

In this guest blog series, our members reflect on how they made their way into assistant editing, editing, and directing—with no two stories the same. They offer advice for those starting out.

Director Wade Shotter: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I was born curious and enjoy figuring out how things work, which is essentially what I still do today as a director. I drew a lot as a kid and wrote and illustrated comics at school. Art was always my focus, so it seemed like a natural progression…
Read more

Editor Jai Waite: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Editing - Cutting a Path I’ve been an editor for 17 years – and the majority of that is in the documentary space. For those that don’t know me, I am also a wheelchair user – the result of an accident 22 years ago. That hasn’t burdened…
Read more

Director Chantelle Burgoyne: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Growing up in Auckland in the late 80s and 90s, the idea that filmmaking was in my future seemed like an impossible dream. On my mother’s side I come from an Afakasi German-Samoan family that migrated to NZ in 1965 and my father’s side…
Read more

Editor Shailesh Prajapati: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Go With The Flow My journey in the film, television, and performing arts industries was unplanned. However, my instincts have worked towards goals and dreams with a "Go with the flow" attitude. One day, I visited a dance academy called Darpana…
Read more

Director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
My family and I fled Iran for Aotearoa in the late 1980s due to war and an oppressive regime. As a six year old I was yelled at by teachers for not understanding English, so I set about reading and writing as much as I could to learn the language.…
Read more

Editor Luka Turjak: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I joined a children’s choir just after my 3rd birthday. That was in Yugoslavia, Zagreb, in 1983. Choir defined me as a person. I’ve learned early on we are all individuals with different needs, wants and perception, so listening is often…
Read more

Director Wade Shotter: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I was born curious and enjoy figuring out how things work, which is essentially what I still do today as a director. I drew a lot as a kid and wrote and illustrated comics at school. Art was always my focus, so it seemed like a natural progression…
Read more

Editor Jai Waite: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Editing - Cutting a Path I’ve been an editor for 17 years – and the majority of that is in the documentary space. For those that don’t know me, I am also a wheelchair user – the result of an accident 22 years ago. That hasn’t burdened…
Read more

Director Chantelle Burgoyne: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Growing up in Auckland in the late 80s and 90s, the idea that filmmaking was in my future seemed like an impossible dream. On my mother’s side I come from an Afakasi German-Samoan family that migrated to NZ in 1965 and my father’s side…
Read more

Editor Shailesh Prajapati: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
Go With The Flow My journey in the film, television, and performing arts industries was unplanned. However, my instincts have worked towards goals and dreams with a "Go with the flow" attitude. One day, I visited a dance academy called Darpana…
Read more

Director Ghazaleh Golbakhsh: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
My family and I fled Iran for Aotearoa in the late 1980s due to war and an oppressive regime. As a six year old I was yelled at by teachers for not understanding English, so I set about reading and writing as much as I could to learn the language.…
Read more

Editor Luka Turjak: How I Got Started in the Industry

,
I joined a children’s choir just after my 3rd birthday. That was in Yugoslavia, Zagreb, in 1983. Choir defined me as a person. I’ve learned early on we are all individuals with different needs, wants and perception, so listening is often…
Read more