Creative New Zealand awards $19.5m to the arts

03 Sep 2013

Thirty-seven arts organisations throughout the country have been awarded $19.5 million in funding over the next three years (2014-2016) from Creative New Zealand’s two multi-year arts investment programmes.

Funding through the complementary programmes covers the full range of arts activities, spanning theatre, music, dance and performing arts, literature, festivals, visual arts and craft/object arts.

Thirty-three organisations were awarded $10.9 million through the Toi Uru Kahikatea (Arts Development) investment programme and four were awarded $8.6 million through the Toi Tōtara Haemata (Arts Leadership) investment programme.

There were six new entrants to the Toi Uru Kahikatea programme in 2014: The Conch theatre company; Otago University Press; the New Zealand Opera School; Youth Performance Trust; the New Zealand Dance Festival and a mentoring programme facilitated by jeweller Peter Deckers. The remaining 27 are existing clients who reapplied for one to three years of continuous funding through the programme.

“It is gratifying to see such strong and diverse new entrants into this important arts development programme. We are also pleased to announce increases in funding for many of our existing clients,’’ said Creative New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright.

“As a new Toi Uru Kahikatea client, the New Zealand Opera School will provide intensive training for this country’s emerging opera stars. Another new entrant, The Conch, will be developing and presenting two new works and teaching theatre skills to Pacific Island youth.”

Creative New Zealand also offered four key roles in theatre and Māori arts, under the Toi Tōtara Haemata programme, to Christchurch’s Court Theatre, Toi Māori Aotearoa, and Wellington’s Circa and Taki Rua theatre companies.

“We are pleased to fill these key roles in our Toi Tōtara Haemata programme. The Court Theatre has faced extraordinary challenges post-quake. Despite this, it has increased its audience and played a vital role in rebuilding the cultural life of Christchurch,” said Mr Wainwright.

Toi Uru Kahikatea provides funding to established New Zealand practitioners, groups and arts organisations for one to three years to support ongoing activities and infrastructure. The complementary Toi Tōtara Haemata programme provides funding for two to five years for organisations to fill specific key roles in creating, presenting, distributing or encouraging participation in high-quality New Zealand arts experiences.

“Together, the Toi Tōtara Haemata and Toi Uru Kahikatea programmes support 80 arts organisations throughout New Zealand, providing both stability and flexibility to Creative New Zealand’s arts funding, Mr Wainwright said. “These funding rounds are a way to regularly assess and refresh the range of arts organisations to which we provide multi-year funding.”

In addition to its investment programmes, Creative New Zealand also supports the arts through its Quick Response and Arts Grants and capability building programmes.