Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (SIGANZ)

Overview

The Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (SIGANZ), operating publicly as The Screen Guild, is the representative body for below-the-line screen production technicians in New Zealand. The Guild traces its origins back to the 1970s and is the largest network of screen technicians in the country, covering all production departments including camera, lighting, sound, art department, costume, makeup, hair, grip, electric, locations, production office, and post-production. On July 18, 2024, SIGANZ was officially registered as a Worker Organisation under the Screen Industry Workers Act 2022 (SIWA), giving it the legal authority to initiate collective bargaining on behalf of all screen production technicians in New Zealand.

The Screen Guild publishes the Blue Book (Code of Practice for the Engagement of Crew in New Zealand), maintains industry rate cards across all departments, operates the ProdPerks discount program, and provides legal and contract support to members. The Guild is headquartered in Auckland and maintains an executive committee that includes regional representatives.

Membership Costs

The Screen Guild offers individual memberships for screen production technicians, with monthly and annual payment options. Annual plans offer a 20% discount compared to monthly billing.

Individual Membership Plans

Standard membership is reserved for screen workers who qualify as Screen Technicians (Production) under the SIWA legislation. Student membership requires proof of full-time student status. Gold Card membership is available for members over 65 years.

Business Subscriptions

Business subscriptions provide access to the ProdPerks Discount Program only and do not grant full membership or member benefits. Production project subscriptions require a discount code (contact: projects@screenguild.co.nz).

Membership sign-up is available at screenguild.co.nz/account/sign-up/choose-a-plan-individual-member. Subscriptions page is at screenguild.co.nz/subscriptions.

The Blue Book

The Blue Book contains the standard guidelines for the engagement of screen production crew in New Zealand. It is developed and published by the Screen Industry Guild in cooperation with SPADA (Screen Production and Development Association) and the Advertising Producers Aotearoa (APA). The current edition is dated May 2023.

The Blue Book traces its origins to the 1970s and reflects common practice working conditions of screen production crew in New Zealand, along with international industry standards. The 2023 edition introduced several new provisions including a Full Day Rate (a crew member's T1 rate prorated at 10 hours) and a Half Day Rate, and updated engagement type definitions (Short Term Engagement, Term Engagement Commercial, and Long Term Engagement).

SPADA members receive one free digital copy of the Blue Book, with hardcopies available for purchase at $65 NZD. The Blue Book is available at screenguild.co.nz/crew-zone/resources/the-blue-book-2023.

Industry Rate Cards

The Screen Guild publishes industry rate cards for all production departments. These were first released as a soft release in 2023 for wider review by Screen Guild members, and as of 2025 are under review and being updated. The rate cards provide indicative weekly rates by department, role, and budget band, with a final column for Short Term Engagement (STE) or daily rates.

The Guild's Rate Card Committee notes that these cards are not representative of minimum rate guides required for occupational contracts under SIWA. They are intended as unofficial guides to inform negotiations, not as confirmed industry rates. Members can submit rate feedback with proof of payment (invoices or bank statements) to ratecards@screenguild.co.nz. Changes are made by majority consensus.

Rate cards are available at screenguild.co.nz/crew-zone/resources/rate-cards.

Screen Industry Workers Act (SIWA) and Collective Bargaining

The Screen Industry Workers Act 2022 came into force on December 30, 2022, introducing a legal framework for collective bargaining in the New Zealand screen industry. The Act gives screen contractors the right to collectively bargain for better group terms, producing legally binding Collective Contracts with minimum terms and conditions including minimum rates of pay, hours of work, and other working conditions.

As a registered Worker Organisation (since July 18, 2024), the Screen Guild can:

1. Initiate collective bargaining on behalf of all technicians working in production to create or modify their Occupational Contract. Only a worker organisation can initiate bargaining for the first Occupational Contract for each occupational group. Guild members vote first on whether to proceed.
2. Assist members working on a specific production to initiate and collectively bargain an Enterprise Contract if they need additional or better terms than the Occupational Contract.
3. Represent members in disputes under the Act's dispute resolution system.

When a draft Occupational Contract is ready for ratification, every eligible worker within the occupational group (not just Guild members) gets to vote. These contracts must be reviewed every 3 to 6 years to remain current.

The Screen Guild has called on SPADA to honour its 2021 commitment to SIWA registration so the sector can move forward with collective bargaining certainty. The Guild has been working on SIWA implementation since 2017, coordinating with other worker organisations. The SIWA Handbook is available at screenguild.co.nz/crew-zone/resources/siwa.

ProdPerks Discount Program

The Screen Guild operates ProdPerks, a discount program available to all individual members and business subscribers. Discounts include:

• HirePool: 35% discount on equipment hire from nationwide branches
• Resene: 25% to 40% on paints, brushes, and accessories
• Southern Cross: Partnered health insurance rates not available to the general public
• Interislander: Group rates for Cook Strait ferry travel
• Movies: Discounts at Hoyts, Auckland's Academy Cinema, and NZ film festivals
• OnFilm Magazine and Data Book: Member discounts on subscriptions and advertising
• DOC: 10% discount on filming on Department of Conservation land
• Autocue Hire: 15% on daily rate of Prompt Service's autocue service
• Comedy: Concession prices at Auckland's Classic Comedy Club

What Filmmakers Should Know

For international productions engaging New Zealand crew, the Blue Book provides the standard engagement framework for below-the-line technicians in New Zealand. Productions should consult the Blue Book when structuring crew contracts, engagement types, and rate negotiations. The Screen Guild's rate cards offer indicative market rates by department and budget band, though these are under review as of 2025.

For New Zealand screen technicians, Screen Guild membership at $25 NZD per month (or $245 annually) provides access to the Blue Book, rate cards, ProdPerks discounts, legal and contract support, and representation under SIWA collective bargaining. The Guild's registration as a Worker Organisation means it can negotiate Occupational Contracts that set legally binding minimum terms for all screen production technicians, regardless of Guild membership.

For producers, the SIWA framework introduces mandatory minimum terms that apply to all crew contracts. Individual contract terms cannot be less favourable than applicable Collective Contract terms, and any such terms are unenforceable. Productions should verify whether an Occupational Contract applies to their crew before finalising individual contracts.

See Also

For the New Zealand directors and editors guild, see Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ) in this directory. For budgeting productions engaging New Zealand crew under the Blue Book framework, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator and the Crew Size Estimator to estimate below-the-line labor costs across departments.