Establishment and set-up

• What onshore / offshore structure is best for your project?
• Film incentive NZ Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) criteria and entity choice
• NZ taxes – income tax, withholding taxes, goods & services tax (GST), individual taxes (traps and pitfalls)
• Financing arrangements – group, private equity, bank
• The most effective structure for your NZ film production project funding arrangements
• Financial reporting implications and options
• Local company assistance – provision of NZ director / shareholder; company incorporation and registrations; bank account set up; company secretarial compliance
• Set-up agreements and documentation advice best suited to your project – production services agreement; cast & crew assignments; security deeds; banking deeds
• Work-made-for-Hire / US and NZ copyright arrangements

New Zealand film incentives

• Expert advice on NZSPG criteria and requirements for live-action productions (including the 5% Uplift, if applicable) and PDV / VFX productions
• Opinions on film grant entitlement and likely (budgeted costs) quantum of grant
• All registrations / repurposing and other waiver applications, preparation, project-managing processes
• Grant application completion (including 5% Uplift Initial Application, provisional and interim applications, if appropriate) and project-management to maximise and de-risk your incentive claim, including liaising with your grant auditor and the NZ Film Commission’s consultants, to approval and receipt

 Financial accounting

• Advice on your financial accounting obligations, based on our accounting standards expertise
• Processing and payment of payroll and supplier invoices
• Post-production accounting
• Financial statements preparation in accordance with the accounting standards appropriate to your project
• Work with auditors (if applicable) to completion

New Zealand and international taxation planning and obligations

• Summary NZ tax outline for production companies and other entities
• Local taxes – income tax & GST & withholding taxes
• Local company or other entity balance date approvals
• Determining your NZ production profit margin
• Repatriation and unwind upon completion
• Understanding multi-year tax accounting impacts
• International tax issues and tax treaty relief
• All local taxation compliance matters, tax payments, tax returns and filings
• GST return preparation & reconciliation, filings and optimal cash flows
• All liaison with NZ Inland Revenue managing payments, filings, assessments, tax accounts, reconciliations

Managing contracts with cast and crew

• Understanding the individual and loan-out NZ tax issues
• Engagement basis as contractors or employees
• Production requirements and impact on cast and crew taxation positions
• Foreign vs local company engagement of production cast and crew, including foreign Guild requirements
• Assignment arrangements and split contracts
• Engagement of cast and crew that supports your film incentive entitlement