2020 in Review: A Resilient Year

Kia ora SIGANZ members,

Welcome to our new members; thank you for joining SIGANZ, and thank you to our existing members for your ongoing support over this crazy year.

It was wonderful to catch up with some of you at the Auckland joint guild Christmas party and Queenstown with Film Otago Southland. I hear that the Wellington and Christchurch get-togethers were also a success, so glad to see our members able to get together and have a proper catch-up.

Where do I start with a round-up of this year? I have to say congratulations to everyone for making it through this rollercoaster of a year. We have certainly been through the mill. We started with an incredibly busy year and then to get hit with COVID, where for the majority of our crews lives came to a standstill.

As you all know, with the ScreenSafe COVID H&S protocols in place, we were ready to merge from lockdown in a better position than other sectors and an incredible team effort from everyone to support their productions working in Level 3, 2, 1, and then 2 again. I take my hat off to all of you that have had to endure the hand washing, the sanitising, the cleaning, the masks, the distancing, and the amazing ingenuity it has taken to continue working in these COVID times. It has paid off!

We are busy, somewhat crazy busy, and this is where I ask you all to make sure you are taking some real time out over the next few weeks to breathe, stop, and connect with whanau and friends. Get the sand between your toes and the beautiful sea wash over you, and STOP! We forget that our mental health and connection keep us able to keep going when things are busy and challenging out there. It looks like 2021 will be another chocker block production round with few signs of things slowing down. It’s great that we are busy, but we still must be a healthy, rested crew, or things start to go awry.

The team here at the guild is here to support you, and we are making some significant progress on some of our projects this year: we have engaged a lawyer that we can call on at any time to ask questions about your contracts (preferably before you sign them). We are working through our systems to make sure our LONO process is as vigilant as possible. We are working on a rate card review for all crew to have a fair guide to rates for the sector. We are continuing our work with the Professional Respect Workshops, in which over 220 people have now attended over ten workshops this year. We encourage you to be a part of this culture shift away from any sexual harassment, bullying, racism in our sector.

We have also been working with Safeguard the Children on the ScreenSafe Working with Children guidelines that will be released in the new year. Plus, on top of that, we have been fielding daily enquiries from crew and producers regarding the Blue Book.

We are dealing with health and safety (including COVID) for the sector plus government liaison, working with WorkSafe on ScreenSafe review and looking after general enquiries, NZTECHO magazine, The Rushes newsletters, and any other membership concerns that come up day today.

Phew! What a year it has been, and yes, I am ready for a break. With that in mind, the office is officially closing on Friday 18th December and will reopen on Monday 18th January. I will check in on the emails now and again over the break.

So without further ado, a massive thank you to the SIGANZ President Brendon Durey and Sioux Macdonald, Tyrone Payne our Treasurer and the Executive and Branch Committee members for another stirling job this year. Even more so under the weight of COVID.

Thank you to Jane, our wonderful accounts officer that keeps the finances in check. Plus, a big thank you to Graeme Tuckett and Jason Bowden for continually producing our NZTECHO magazine so we can celebrate our sector.

So signing off for 2020 and here’s to 2021!

Have a safe and rested holiday season.