When Is a Levy Not a Levy?

Electioneering is in full swing as we head towards November.

It was just eight weeks ago that Reuben Davidson, Labour Spokesperson for Broadcasting, Media and Creative Economy, stood in front of the New Zealand screen industry at the Big Screen Symposium and said he was fully supportive of a streamer levy.

As recently as the Tāmaki Makaurau Screen Industry Network gathering at the beginning of this month, SPADA President Irene Gardiner was assuring everyone in attendance that all the parties in opposition were on side regarding the levy, except for Te Pati Māori, who hadn’t committed to anything.

Then, just over a week ago, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins flatly ruled out introducing a streaming levy if elected in November.

It just goes to show you that political expediency will always win out in an election year.

The fear word here is tax. National pitched the streamer levy as a tax. Just another tax from Labour, they cried. Labour wants it clear that there’s only one tax they are going to bring in if they win, and that’s a capital gains tax.

A levy is not a tax, though, but that didn’t matter to Hipkins, who said: “We’re not adding a levy onto everybody’s Netflix account.”

As if everybody has a Netflix account in New Zealand. I can’t imagine those who can barely afford groceries, rent, petrol and electricity are subscribing to Netflix or any of the other streamers.

Streamer subscriptions are a luxury, not a basic essential. But in an election year, you can’t make complex arguments for or against anything. Elections demand simple messaging. And Hipkins’ simple message was clear.

In the ensuing brouhaha around this, both Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith ruled out a streamer levy, too. So we’re stuffed on this front no matter who wins the election, it would seem.

That comment from Hipkins, though, is even more revealing, because it shows just how embedded Netflix and the other streamers have become here, even in the minds of the politicians we look toward to help protect and promote New Zealand’s domestic screen sector.

So where does the future of the NZ domestic screen industry stand now?

Clearly not in the hands of SPADA, as they seem fresh out of ideas, as Gardiner recently wrote: “If we’re not going with a levy as our form of regulation, then what are we doing, and when are we doing it? Perhaps our politicians think a quota/direct investment would work better for us than a levy. That could be great. But it’s time to do something. And please don’t treat a serious issue for us like a toy you’re playing with…”

Better starts now, Labour’s simple election slogan tells us. From a domestic screen industry perspective, hard to believe that.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 28 August 2026