US tariffs on movies made outside the states could be ‘devastating’ to NZ

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

US tariffs on films made outside of the states could be “devastating” to both the New Zealand economy and the film industry, one insider says.

“I don’t want to speak in a panicky way about something that may never happen, but if you did take this to its worst conclusion, it would be absolutely devastating for New Zealand,” President of Screen Producers NZ Irene Gardiner said.

Gardiner’s comments come in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a plan for a 100% tariff on movies made outside the US. He said the local film industry had “been stolen” from Hollywood.

“Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States,” Trump said on social media.

It was unclear how these tariffs would operate, since movies and TV shows can be transmitted digitally without going through ports.

Gardiner said she was surprised the proposal had come up again, after initially being floated by the US president in May, because it was not supported by the American Screen Industry.

“I thought it had probably gone away, but here it is again, and it’s still not supported by the American production industry, who see it as being pretty ruinous to the US screen industry,” she said.

“It’s such a strange announcement, and there’s so much about it that’s unworkable. It’s really hard to comment, because it’s so hard to work out what he even means.”

Gardiner said it was unclear if it meant productions shot or post-produced anywhere other than America would face tariffs, or if it meant a New Zealand produced film couldn’t hit American cinemas without a tariff.

“How would that work? How do you put tariffs on services,” she asked. “It’s very complicated.”

She said the New Zealand film industry was worth about $3 billion, and that relied on a lot of international production, with either shooting taking place here, post-production being done here, or effects work at Wētā in Wellington.

“So if you take that out, that is really devastating in terms of our economy, but obviously it’s incredibly devastating for the industry itself, because it’s a massive loss of work for people.

“It would have a big financial impact on New Zealand, big financial impact on the screen industry, loss of jobs. It would be devastating.”

Gardiner said there were already a lot of complexities with big co-productions and introducing something like 100% tariffs into the mix made it “too hard” and could mean film makers won’t bother.

It highlighted the need to keep our domestic film industry strong, she said. “Because that’s our fall back.”

Gardiner said we could survive it, but it would change the industry and take a lot of investment.

“Things are pretty tough here at the moment, both for the international sector and the domestic sector. So really, this would be the last thing we would need.”

The director of Equity New Zealand, the union and organisation representing performers who work in New Zealand’s entertainment industries, said anything that reduced the amount of international productions in New Zealand would be “detrimental” to the screen industry as a whole.

Denise Roche said it was unclear how these tariffs would play out, but that Kiwi post production services would take a massive hit if work was confined to the states.

“I think it’s designed to scare the horses, and it may well do, which will have a negative impact,” she said.

“But this is a real opportunity to really for our government to really invest in our local content, because otherwise we’ll lose all those skills that we’ve got or those people will move offshore.”

She said the industry in New Zealand had already seen a downturn in terms of international productions, and that's made it very hard particularly for the crew.

“And on top of that, we’ve had a downturn in the creation of local content so we’re kind of facing quite a hard time at the moment.”

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill said the screen industry was a vital, high-value contributor to Auckland’s regional economy.

In 2024, it generated $940 million in GDP and employed 4300 people, with the region home to 1700 businesses, he said.

“Beyond the thousands of jobs the screen sector supports, it fosters international partnerships that benefit all parties involved, including US studios, distributors, and creatives who routinely collaborate with New Zealand-based talent and production companies.”

It was not clear how such a tariff would be imposed, he added.

A New Zealand Film Commission spokesperson said since the proposal was initially raised, it had been closely monitoring developments and potential impacts on New Zealand’s screen sector.

The spokesperson said its current approach had a joint focus, that included sustaining strong connections with the US industry and advancing partnerships through official co-production treaties with countries such as India, the UK, and Ireland, and exploring opportunities for New Zealand in the Middle East.

“NZFC is in contact with New Zealand representatives in the US, as well as global industry leaders, and continues to closely monitor the situation.”

They would not comment on how it could impact New Zealand’s film industry.