The results of the Screenrights election process will be announced at the next Annual General Meeting on Thursday 19 November 2026.
Screenrights Board
The Screenrights Board currently has twelve Directors, being the maximum allowed under the Constitution. Each Director is elected for a three-year term, with a limit of three terms unless the Board endorses a fourth term. According to the Screenrights Constitution, three positions are always allocated for Authorial Directors (Screenwriter, Screen Director, and Composer) and one position is allocated for a New Zealand Director. The remaining positions are General Director positions; some of which require specialised skills, such as the General Director - Finance, and General Director - Product & Technology.
Following a detailed governance review and careful succession planning, the Screenrights Board recommends reducing the maximum number of Directors from 12 to 10. It is anticipated that the reduction will occur over the next 3 years.
The Board considers that a smaller Board would better suit Screenrights’ size and governance needs, supporting more focused discussion, effective decision-making and clear accountability, while retaining the breadth of skills, experience and industry representation needed to oversee Screenrights’ activities. A gradual reduction would allow the Board to manage succession carefully and preserve continuity and institutional knowledge.
The proposed change will require member approval in accordance with the Constitution. It will not affect the number of Screenwriter Directors, Screen Directors or Composer Directors on the Board, or the New Zealand Director.
There is no impact on the number of vacancies to be filled in the current 2026 nominations and elections process.
Further details, including the wording of the proposed resolution, will accompany the Notice of Annual General Meeting.
Preferred Skills Set
Board membership and succession is reviewed and discussed on an ongoing basis by the Board. An important element of these discussions involves the Board determining an overall preferred skills-set and ensuring diverse representation. Following is the skills-set the Board believes is appropriate, considering the strategic and operational context for the organisation as well as the extent of current, and future, risks and opportunities:
Governance, strategic expertise, industry knowledge, accounting and finance, legal, managing risk, digital transformation, understanding of government, managing people and achieving change, marketing and communications.
2026 Vacancies
This year there are five (5) vacancies for Directors to serve on the Board of Screenrights: one (1) New Zealand Director, one (1) Authorial Director - Screen Director, one (1) General Director - Finance position, one (1) General Director - Product & Technology position and one (1) General Director positions.
The Board wishes to advise members of the information below in respect of the following current directors:
Rachel Antony has served two terms as a New Zealand Director and will be standing for re-election.
Sofya Gollan has served one term as an Authorial Director - Screen Director and will be standing for re-election.
Lynne Small has served part of one term filling a casual vacancy as General Director - Finance, and will be standing for re-election.
Sandra Davey has served two terms as a General Director - Product & Technology and will be standing for re-election.
Dot West has served one term as a General Director and will be standing for re-election.
Nominations
Those considering nominating for Board positions are encouraged to review the further information below:
Position Description (New Zealand Director)
Position Description (Authorial Director - Screen Director)
Position Description: General Director - Finance
Position Description: General Director - Product & Technology
Position Description: General Director
Nominations open at 5.00pm (AEST) Thursday 1 October 2026 and close at 5.00pm (AEDT) on Thursday 15 October 2026. If you would like to submit a nomination, you can do so here.
After the nomination period closes, the Board will review all nominations received. Members will be informed of the outcome of these discussions before voting opens on Wednesday 28 October 2026.
Voting
Members will receive an email with information about how to vote once the voting period opens.
Voting will be held between Wednesday 28 October 2026 and Thursday 12 November 2026.
Election Results
The results will be announced at the next Annual General Meeting on Thursday 19 November 2026.
The Board thanks all members for their continued support.
Natalie Buck
Company Secretary
