Free<\/p>\n
Beamafilm<\/p>\n
Beamafilm<\/a> offers a specialised selection of independent and award-winning movies, historical documentaries and TV series. Access is free with a participating library card. No ads, some local content, captions where available.<\/p>\n Best content: Catherine the Great, Top of the Lake, The Cliff.<\/p>\n Filmzie<\/p>\n Filmzie<\/a> is a free streaming service of independent films, documentaries and TV shows. No local content, pop up ads on the website.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: A mix of obscure titles, from Dying for Everest to In Law Wedding Wars.\u00a0<\/p>\n Freeview<\/p>\n Freeview<\/a> is available for free across New Zealand, with its Smart TV app bringing together a number of free-to-air local TV and radio channels into one place, making live TV easier to watch. Captions and audio descriptions on selected programmes.<\/p>\n GagaOolalala\u00a0<\/p>\n This Taiwan-based Asian streaming platform offers a wide variety of LGBTQ+ content to worldwide audiences, including romance, drama, comedy, fantasy and horror. General membership gives you access to a limited selection of shows for free, but you\u2019ll need to upgrade to VIP for full access ($6.99 USD a month).<\/p>\n Best content: Smile After Tears, Double Helix.<\/p>\n Kanopy<\/p>\n Kanopy<\/a> is another free streaming service if you have a participating library card, and includes thousands of critically acclaimed and award-winning films. It describes itself as \u201cquality, thoughtful entertainment\u201d, and is an excellent free-streaming option. There\u2019s also Kanopy Kids<\/a>, which features a solid selection of educational shows for preschoolers. No ads, a selection of local content, captions where possible.<\/p>\n Best content: Pike River, Cousins, Wicked For Good, Workmates, Parasite, Lady Macbeth, The Dressmaker, Lady Bird.<\/p>\n M\u0101ori+<\/p>\n M\u0101ori+<\/a> is the on-demand streaming service for Whakaata M\u0101ori and it celebrates the people, places and cultures of Aotearoa. It\u2019s a fantastic source of local comedy and drama, current affairs, international films, sport, kapa haka, educational content and documentaries for all ages, and there\u2019s always new content being added.\u00a0 Captions are available, no ads.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Homesteads, The Hui, Ahik\u0101roa, Marae, Moana, Chat Her Up, Marlon Williams Ng\u0101 Ao E Rua Two Worlds, Not Even, Once Were Gardeners.\u00a0<\/p>\n NZ On Screen<\/p>\n NZ On Screen<\/a> recently relaunched its website to offer an on-demand platform of 120 New Zealand film classics (which you can purchase from $6.99 per title). What\u2019s still free to watch, however, are over 4,000 titles from New Zealand\u2019s TV, film, music video and web series history, including archive news clips, interviews, profiles of industry figures and uniquely curated collections. It\u2019s a fascinating place to look back at who we used to be, and what we used to watch. All local content, no ads, no captions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Start with classic episodes of Country Calendar, Havoc, Islands of the Gulf, Gloss, Outrageous Fortune or Shortland Street, and see where you end up.\u00a0<\/p>\n SkyOpen (via SkyGo)<\/p>\n Sky Go<\/a> is free for Sky customers, but those without a Sky account can still use it to watch Sky Open (free-to-air, formerly Prime) content<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot of sports and lifestyle shows, and there\u2019s also some great locally produced series and documentaries. Includes ads, captions are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Small Town Scandal, Whina, Shepherdess, Raised by Refugees, Clarkson\u2019s Farm, Forever Auckland FC, The Ridge, My Favourite Dead Person.<\/p>\n ThreeNow<\/p>\n ThreeNow\u2019s<\/a> streaming platform has improved both in usability and content in recent years. It now has a little bit of everything \u2013 local dramas and comedies, reality TV, lifestyle shows and some very watchable documentary series. There\u2019s also a strong showing of bingeable British and Australian thrillers, and a selection of live-TV channels that broadcast one show, 24 hours a day.\u00a0 There are ads, captions where available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: David Lomas Breakthrough, Survivor, Crackhead, 7 Days, Game of 2 Halves, The Valley, The Assassin, Married at First Sight Australia, Dinosaur, New Zealand Tomorrow, Tangata Pai, Guy Mont Spelling Bee, Happiness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Tubi<\/p>\n Tubi<\/a> is an American streaming service owned by Fox, and has mostly classic movies and older TV shows. No subscription required, no local content, there are ads and captions are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Great if your kids love The Magic School Bus or My Little Pony.<\/p>\n TVNZ+<\/p>\n TVNZ+<\/a> has built up an excellent library of movies, lifestyle, drama, reality and comedy TV shows to make it the best free streaming service in the country. However, issues from a recent upgrade<\/a> have annoyed thousands of users, which TVNZ has apologised for and resolved to fix<\/a>. But if you only want one streaming service in your life, TVNZ+ should be it, particularly if you don\u2019t want to pay anything. With its broad range of quality local and international shows and films, there\u2019s something here for people of all ages, and new shows are introduced regularly. There are ads, closed captioning is available where possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Code of Silence, Taskmaster, The Rookie, Bluey, Celebrity Treasure Island, Great British Bake Off, The Other Bennet Sister, The Miniature Wife, Riot Women, The Chase, Grand Designs NZ, Shortland Street, Country Calendar, Outrageous Fortune.\u00a0<\/p>\n WaterBear<\/p>\n A Dutch streaming service with hundreds of documentaries dedicated to the environment, society and sustainability. Waterbear believes stories have the ability to drive change, and features localised stories from around the world. Shows watched go on to support environmental projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Oceans Initiative, More Like Paul, The Last Harvest.\u00a0<\/p>\n NZ Film On Demand (from $1.99 per hire)<\/p>\n The NZ Film Commission\u2019s pay-per-movie service<\/a> offers a rich variety of exclusively New Zealand films, including new and classic titles. Films are hired for a seven-day period.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Smash Palace, An Angel At My Table, Utu, Goodbye Pork Pie, What We Do in the Shadows, Boy, Rain, Poi E, Eagle Vs Shark.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shelter ($3.99)<\/p>\n If you love architecture, you\u2019ll love Shelter<\/a>. This niche Australian platform specialises in films about architectural design, urban planning and the environment. Students get a half-price monthly discount, no ads, free seven-day trial.<\/p>\n Best content: Tiny Spaces, Inspired Architecture.\u00a0<\/p>\n AroVision (From $4.99 per hire)<\/p>\n AroVision<\/a> is the impressive New Zealand on-demand streaming companion of AroVideo, and features over 3,000 films for rent. Their library focuses on festival and award-winning titles that won\u2019t appear on bigger streaming platforms, and with each film hand-picked by the knowledgeable AroVision team, there\u2019s no dud choices here (plus, there\u2019s plenty of more mainstream picks to keep everyone happy). Prices are per film rental, and there\u2019s lots of fantastic New Zealand titles.<\/p>\n Best content: Wuthering Heights, Fackham Hall, Not Only Fred Dagg, If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You, Life in One Chord, Sinners, The Haka Party Incident, The Rule of Jenny Pen.<\/p>\n AMC+ (From $6.99)<\/p>\n AMC+<\/a> is a streaming bundle that brings together a mix of series and films from Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and AMC into one subscription. There are ads, although you can upgrade your subscription to avoid them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: The Anne Rice Universe, The Walking Dead Universe, The Son.\u00a0<\/p>\n iWonder (from $6.99)<\/p>\n A thoughtful range of documentary films and TV serie<\/a>s covering a variety of different genres, including crime, politics, history, sport and business. You\u2019ll learn heaps. Free 14-day trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: On the Wild Side, The Carnivore\u2019s Dilemma, Riders of Destiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n Acorn TV ($7.99)<\/p>\n A small but sweet catalogue<\/a> of cosy British detective dramas set by the sea and slightly quirky murder mysteries. Reassuringly gentle stuff. Free seven-day trial, some local content.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Under the Vines, My Life is Murder, The Sounds, Annika, Foyles War, Dead Still, Whitstable Pearl, Recipes for Love and Murder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Curiosity Stream (from $7.99)<\/p>\n Time to tap into your big brain with Curiosity Stream<\/a>, which was created by Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks. Curiosity Stream focuses on factual entertainment and offers a collection of science, nature, history, food, travel and technology documentaries.<\/p>\n Best content: Land of the Hobbits, Across the Ice, Nature\u2019s Return.<\/p>\n HIDIVE (from $8.99)<\/p>\n Hidive<\/a> is dedicated to Japanese Anime, but with a smaller collection of shows than fellow anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Free seven-day trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Petals of Reincarnation, Hero Without A Class.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shudder ($8.99)<\/p>\n Shudder<\/a> is a streaming service for horror, thriller and supernatural fans. There\u2019s both film and TV shows, with new titles added each week. Free seven-day trial, no ads.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Tales from the Crypt, Dolly, Heresy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crunchyroll (from $9.99)<\/p>\n This streaming service<\/a> celebrates all things Japanese anime, with an impressive 2,000 titles for anime fans to choose from. Free seven-day trial for premium plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: One Piece, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia.\u00a0<\/p>\n Disney+ (from $9.99)<\/p>\n Disney+<\/a> sneaks into this category thanks to a $9.99 monthly subscription that includes ads. It\u2019s great value for money (if you don\u2019t mind the interruptions), because Disney+ is the streamer with a little bit of everything, and easily the most family friendly of these cheaper streaming options. Disney has both the latest prestige, big-budget drama series for adults \u2013 think Love Story and Rivals \u2013 as well as lots of movies and shows for kids (there\u2019s also a small collection of Disney kids\u2019 movies translated into te reo M\u0101ori<\/a>). It even has a bit of ESPN sport, and depending on your subscription type, you can download shows and movies to watch offline. Standard package is $18.99 per month, while premium is $25.99. Closed captioning is available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Rivals, Love Story, The Testaments, High Potential, Paradise, Dying for Sex, Only Murders in the Building, The Bear, Shogun.\u00a0<\/p>\n DocPlay ($9.99)<\/p>\n Expand both your brain and world with DocPlay, an Australian-based streaming service<\/a> focused exclusively on documentary film and series for Australian and New Zealand audiences. Its curated catalogue of nearly 2,000 titles includes everything from fashion to politics. Free 14-day trial, no ads, closed captions where available, and there\u2019s plenty of local content.<\/p>\n Best content: Black Coast Vanishings, Celia, Decades in Colour, Mr Nobody Against Putin, The Road to Patagonia.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hayu ($10.99)<\/p>\n Like many other streaming services, Hayu<\/a> has increased in price since our last update, but this time you\u2019re actually getting more bang for your buck. Hayu began as a must-have platform for reality TV fans, due to it offering over 300 reality shows, many available on the same day as the US. This month, however, Hayu moved beyond reality TV to offer a selection of other shows and movies, including dramas, comedy series and blockbuster films. Free seven-day trial, no ads, captions are available. Prime Video (from $10.99)<\/p>\n Prime Video<\/a> offers a mix of blockbuster original content and a lot of older movies, TV shows and documentaries. The amount of New Zealand content has improved ever-so-slightly in the last year, but there\u2019s still not much on there (Masterchef NZ, anyone?). You can upgrade your sub to avoid ads, closed captioning where possible, free seven-day trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: The Boys, Last One Laughing UK, Deadloch, Young Sherlock, Scarpetta.\u00a0<\/p>\n Apple TV+ (from $12.99)<\/p>\n Apple TV+<\/a> only holds its own original shows and movies, which often feature an impressive line up of Hollywood stars and directors. While its library isn\u2019t as extensive as other big-name platforms, there\u2019s a definite sense of quality over quantity here, with many Apple shows becoming award-winners. No ads, closed captioning available (plus a variety of subtitle languages), no local content.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Severance, The Studio, Your Friends and Neighbours, Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles, Widow\u2019s Bay, Shrinking, Ted Lasso.<\/p>\n Mubi ($14.99)<\/p>\n One for cinema fans. International streaming service Mubi<\/a> offers a hand-picked collection of independent and festival films from around the world. Free seven-day trial, no ads, cheaper subscription rates ($8.99) for students.<\/p>\n Best content:\u00a0 My Father\u2019s Shadow, Die My Love, Pompei: Below The Clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Neon (From $14.99)<\/p>\n HBO Max launches in Aotearoa next month, which means you\u2019ve only got a few weeks to access its award-winning shows (like The Pitt or The Last of Us) on Neon<\/a>. New Zealand-owned Neon recently revamped its brand to reassure subscribers that it will still offer a premium mix of series and films, and is moving to a \u201cmore curated\u201d slate. Over the next few weeks, new shows from the likes of Paramount, BBC Studios and Lionsgate will be added, as well as some promising new local series like Morgana O\u2019Reilly\u2019s new cop drama Bust Up, comedian Josh Thomson\u2019s comedy Good Bones and a second season of the family-friendly Secrets at Red Rocks. <\/p>\n Neon is also adding full seasons of shows like Lost, For All Mankind, Dawson\u2019s Creek and Downton Abbey, and it already has a fantastic selection of shows for young kids. Neon has two price options: a basic package (with ads) is $14.99, while the standard package (no ads, option to download content and watch offline) is $23.99. Individual movies are also available for hire. Closed captioning where possible.<\/p>\n Best content: Heated Rivalry, The Audacity, Dutton Ranch, The Agency, Mint, Outlander, Blood of My Blood, Unforgotten, The Madison.<\/p>\n Netflix (from $17.99)<\/p>\n The one and only Netflix<\/a> offers a huge selection of films, documentaries, TV shows, anime and award-winning original shows, and arguably gives you the most shows in one place. Sometimes you have to fight through the weeds to find the good stuff, but it\u2019s the perfect place to come if you\u2019re looking for a highly bingeable Harlan Coben thriller or a gripping American true crime docuseries. There\u2019s always something new to watch on Netflix, although sadly, there\u2019s still not much local content on offer. Closed captions are available, you can download content to watch offline, and you can choose from three different price packages (Basic $17.99, Standard $25.99, Premium $33.99).\u00a0<\/p>\n Best content: Legends, Beef, Should I Marry a Murderer, Stranger Things, Adolescence, Squid Games, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Black Mirror, Bridgerton.<\/p>\n YouTube Premium (from $17.99)<\/p>\n If ads make you angry, YouTube Premium<\/a> offers unlimited ad-free access to all of YouTube\u2019s content, plus the ability to download videos to watch offline and stream music. It\u2019s currently offering a two-month free trial with a monthly sub that starts at $17.99 (there are additional student and family plans available).\u00a0<\/p>\n HBO Max (launches in June, price TBC)<\/p>\n HBO Max launches in New Zealand on June 16, and will be the new home of big prestige television shows like The Pitt, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, and House of Dragon. Official pricing details and packages will be announced closer to the launch date, but we\u2019re guessing prices will be somewhere in this monthly price category.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sky Sport Now (from $29.99)<\/p>\nMelanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm in Pike River. Image: Matt Grace<\/p>\n
Tom Sainsbury in Small Town Scandal. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n
The cast of TVNZ+\u2019s The Rookie (Photo: TVNZ)
\nUnder $10 per month<\/p>\nJacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in \u2018Wuthering Heights\u2019.<\/p>\n
Lucy Lawless as Alexa Crowe in My Life is Murder, with co-star Rawiri Jobe as Harry (Photo: Greenstone)<\/p>\n
Rivals, available on Disney+<\/p>\n
Black Coast Vanishings (Image: Supplied)
\nUnder $20 per month<\/p>\n
Best content: Hacks (seasons four and five), Prime Minister, Below Deck, Real Housewives, Ladies of London, The Valley, Apples Never Fall.\u00a0<\/p>\nAdam Scott as Mark in Severance (Apple TV).<\/p>\n
Blood of My Blood on Neon (Photo: Neon)<\/p>\n
The Pitt will be available on HBO Max from June 16.
\nOver $20 per month<\/p>\n