It was brought to my attention this week that problems have occurred with the 2025 Public Lending Right (PLR) funding round.
An administrative error within National Library of NZ (NLNZ), who administer the scheme, meant that 318 authors incorrectly received emails mid-year stating that they were eligible for a PLR payout in 2025. This error was not picked up until December, when some of the authors who had received the email but did not then receive payment raised the matter with NZSA and/or NLNZ. Neither the PLR Advisory Group (PLRAG) or NZSA was notified.
I have been assured by NLNZ that they are currently working to address the situation. It appears that those authors who received the email but no subsequent payout fell into two categories: either they were not eligible under the terms of the legislation, or they were not eligible because they did not register, or their registration did not complete, but they would have been eligible if they had registered. NLNZ is working on a solution that will allow a payout to be made to this second group, though this is not entirely straightforward as all the funds are committed in every round, so additional funding will be required to support this.
I am assured that PLRAG and NZSA will be kept fully informed going forward. If you have been affected and would like to provide details of your experience, please get in touch, as the more information PLRAG has, the easier it is for us to pursue this.
Current PLR funding round
As we are now in the 2026 funding round registration period, steps have been taken at NLNZ to prevent any such error from reoccurring, and also to ensure that authors know where they stand in terms of their registration. Once you have registered, you should receive a confirmation email within ten working days. That this did not happen last year contributed to the problem. Mid-year, authors who are eligible for the 2026 funding round under the terms of the legislation will be notified by email, and payments will occur as usual in December.
Difficulties with registering or confirming your registration (and yes, we thought this step would no longer be necessary, but it seems the Crown Law Office decided otherwise) should be brought to the attention of NLNZ – they can assist if you have problems with RealMe, for example. You do need to enter the system and confirm that your details are correct to be eligible. If you don’t receive a confirmation email within ten days of completing this process, please get in touch with NLNZ.
In the longer term, NZSA, PLRAG and NLNZ continue to work towards a legislative review. There are many problems with the existing highly prescriptive and pre-digital legislation, and we have long been lobbying to have them addressed. Consider contacting your MP about the need for a review.
Sometimes sitting on the PLRAG can seem a thankless task – I’m frequently asked why we don’t simply “get the legislation changed”. The reality is that we have no power to do so; the only person with the power to initiate a review of the legislation is the Minister of Internal Affairs, currently Brooke van Velden. Much effort has gone into lobbying the current Minister and her predecessors about the need for a review. There is reason to believe that this may happen later this year. Let’s hope so! I will certainly let you all know if – when! – it does. After that, our work will focus on ensuring that the revised legislation is fit-for-purpose and has in-built longevity. Be assured that I will keep you informed as we move forward.
If you have information or comments about your experience please contact me via this form.
Anna Mackenzie
Chair, PLR Advisory Group
