New Zealand’s Wellington Paranormal, Ms X to return thanks to NZ On Air funding

Wellington Paranormal is returning for a fifth season after a four-year hiatus

NZ On Air has committed NZ$8m (US$4.7m) to four scripted projects in its latest round of funding, resulting in the return of Wellington Paranormal after four years off air and a second season of Ms X.

Cult comedy Wellington Paranormal is returning after a four-year hiatus for season five (6×23′), which will air on Three and be made by The Kitchen Table Productions, with up to NZ$1.85m in funding from NZ On Air.

Created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Paul Yates based on characters from What We Do in the Shadows, the show’s first four seasons aired on TVNZ.

Produced by Plus6Four Entertainment, the second season (6×45′) of Ms X will receive up to NZ$3.75m from NZ On Air.

It comes after Ms X premiered its first season on Three and ThreeNow in New Zealand this week, having also launched in Australia on Binge, Peacock in the US and Disney+ in the UK and Ireland following sales by Dynamic Television.

South Pacific Pictures and TVNZ’s long-running soap Shortland Street will return for another year, with up to NZ$2.3m going towards the production of 160 40-minute episodes. Day One Shorts 2027 (8×10′), from Connected Media Charitable Trust for RNZ, will receive up to NZ$405,000.

In unscripted, 14 projects received funding of NZ$9.8m, including season three of TVNZ’s My Family Mystery, TVNZ feature documentary The Power of Two and TVNZ’s Celebrity Treasure Island.

Other projects to receive funding include Tally Ho: The Story of Flying Nun Records (3×46′), from Simizdat Productions for TVNZ+, and 7 Days 2027 (20×44′), made by Sky Free for Three.

NZ On Air’s second round of the 2026/27 financial year opens for applications on August 20 and closes on September 10, with decisions due on November 20.