Spare A Thought For Production… But Not at The Expense of Crew

Petrol and diesel are inescapable costs for production.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a two-person crew with a director, or a 3-500 crew on an international show; they all need fuel, particularly diesel.

Gaffer, grip, and unit trucks, four wheel drives, SUVs, vans, personal cars—all those production vehicles clock up the mileage, and the IRD rate of approximately $1.20 isn’t cutting it any more.

I just filled up my 4WD, and it was $3.99 a litre for diesel.

Productions, whether in planning, prep, or underway, will be looking sideways at their contingency and overhead and at ways to cut costs. And of course, thought will turn to cast and crew rates and how to squeeze them.

Collectively negotiated agreements under the Screen Industry Workers Act, should we achieve them, will provide some protection for cast and crew in this case, and any other. Production will not be able to go below the base negotiated rate, preventing the worst cases of exploitation. So the old chestnut of: “If you won’t accept this terrible offer, we’ll find someone else,” will be harder to pull off, because the occupational negotiated base rate will apply to everybody. In other words, there will be a floor that will be impossible to go below. And it won’t just be base rates that will be negotiated. Occupational terms and conditions will also be on the table for discussion.

Collective agreements will help to deal with the cowboy producers and productions. And there are a few. We are fortunate, though, that most producers try to do the best they can for those who work for them.

We are all facing an uphill battle right now, which has been made worse by the Middle East situation. Rising costs were an issue before that mess happened. And will remain so even if a way through that disaster is found.

New Zealand’s funding bodies are going to have to factor all of this in going forward. Production budgets will rise, and not just because of the cost of petrol and diesel. There are myriad other things that have gotten costlier.

In the meantime, spare a thought for your producer, line producer, and production manager who are grappling with how to make budgets work right now. Just make sure you are not the one paying for it.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 9 April 2026