About Creative New Zealand

2011 September

Creative New Zealand sends out a quarterly e-newsletter, which features our latest news and updates. Sign up to receive our e-newsletter

As we look forward to Spring, the Rugby World Cup has opened with an exciting weekend of games throughout the country. Running alongside this international event is the Real New Zealand festival with a feast of New Zealand arts and culture. Check our quick links below to see what’s happening in your area.

Also in this newsletter we announce the results of our new funding programmes, call for delegates to represent Aotearoa at the Festival of Pacific Arts 2012, celebrate the achievements of leaders in Māori arts and literature, and outline how your lotto ticket supports the arts.

We hope you enjoy reading about these and other projects.

New funding programmes

Creative New Zealand has committed funding through two new complementary programmes in a major overhaul of its multi-year funding for the arts.

The funding was made by the Arts Board and Te Waka Toi as the new programmes replace the previous Recurrent Funding, Arts Investments and Sector Investments. Over the next three years more than $50 million will go to 72 arts organisations, ranging from the Auckland Theatre Company to Dunedin’s Blue Oyster Gallery. See who was funded through the new programmes.

“The majority of funding will be in long term contracts that will give arts organisations security to plan for the future,” says Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright.

Investment in Māori and Pacific arts organisations has increased by 20 percent overall and Creative New Zealand is also broadening access to the arts, for example with funding for Arts Access Aotearoa and Touch Compass, a contemporary dance company that combines dancers with and without disabilities.

“We’re pleased to be funding emerging organisations, such as the New Zealand Dance Advancement Trust, while also supporting those with a strong record of delivery. The majority of our investment continues to be in the critical network of theatres, contemporary art galleries, orchestras, service organisations, festivals, publishers and chamber music organisations throughout the country.”

Establishing the new funding programmes Arts Leadership Investment (Toi Tōtara Haemata) and the Arts Development Investment (Toi Uru Kahikatea) was a recommendation from Creative New Zealand’s review of its programme for recurrently funded organisations.

Creative New Zealand’s investment of more than $50 million is not its total funding of the arts. Funding from Toi Uru Kahikatea will be available again in 2012 while funding from Toi Tōtara Haemata may be available in 2013 for new or unfilled key roles. In addition to the new programmes, Creative New Zealand offers Quick Response and Arts grants and the Creative Communities Scheme.

Festival of Pacific Arts 2012

The call is out for expressions of interest from Māori and New Zealand-based Pacific artists to participate in the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts in the Solomon Islands in July next year.

Established in 1972 as the South Pacific Arts Festival, the event began in response to the threatened extinction of traditional and customary practices around the Pacific, and now involves almost 30 countries.

Hosted every four years by a different nation, the festival is the premier international event for preserving the Pacific’s cultural heritage, enhancing regional relations and drawing attention to the rich and diverse traditions of the many peoples of the Pacific. 

Creative New Zealand is now encouraging expressions of interest from accomplished and emerging artists for next year’s delegation. This opportunity is open to individual artists and groups that practice a wide range of artforms, including heritage and contemporary arts.

The theme for 2012 is ‘Culture in Harmony with Nature’. Selected works will connect with this theme in some way.

Invitations to the festival are extended to the indigenous people of each country and Creative New Zealand is supporting and coordinating the New Zealand delegation.

“As tangata whenua of New Zealand, Te Waka Toi, the Māori arts board of Creative New Zealand has extended the invitation to Pacific artists based in New Zealand,” said Te Waka Toi Chair Darrin Haimona.

Mr Haimona visited the Solomon Islands earlier this year and is excited about Aotearoa’s opportunity to step on to the world stage. “The artists who are chosen will represent the very best of traditional and contemporary arts from Aotearoa New Zealand. They will ensure our distinct voice is heard among the people of the Pacific Region.

“This is an opportunity for Māori and Pacific artists to share their artistry and cultural traditions with the aim of preserving them for future generations,” he said.

Aotearoa New Zealand has sent a delegation to every festival since 1972 and has included weavers, sculptors, carvers, theatre groups, storytellers, dancers, musicians and kapa haka. In 2008, a delegation of 120 artists represented Aotearoa New Zealand at the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Past host nations include Aotearoa New Zealand (1976), Tahiti (1985), Australia (1988), Cook Islands (1992), Samoa (1996), New Caledonia (2000) and Belau (2004).

The application form, selection criteria and information about the festival’s theme are available on the Creative New Zealand website

Applications close on Monday 31 October 2011 at 5pm.

Literary Winners

It has been a busy few months of awards and accolades for the New Zealand literary sector with the announcement of New Zealand as the Country of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair; a music writer sweeping the big prizes at the New Zealand Post Book Awards; three Prime Minister’s Awards recipients announced and 11 writers featuring at overseas literary festivals.

A celebrated historian, a literary Dame and an internationally published poet were honoured at the 2011 Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement at Premier House in Wellington.

Dame Fiona Kidman, James Belich and Peter Bland receive $60,000 each in recognition of their significant contribution to New Zealand literature in the areas of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, respectively. 

Listen to Peter Bland’s interview with Kim Hill

Watch James Belich’s interview on The Nation

Minister for Arts and Culture Christopher Finlayson, presenting the awards on behalf of the Prime Minister said, “This year’s recipients are outstanding writers in their chosen field. The awards are an opportunity to recognise their achievements and the significant impact of their work on the cultural life of New Zealand. The government is pleased to support the awards through the Arts Council of New Zealand.”

Music historian Chris Bourke won the New Zealand Post Book of the Year, for his work Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-1964. He achieved a hat trick by also winning the New Zealand Post General Non-fiction Award and the coveted People’s Choice Award. Four years in the writing, including a period as a Creative New Zealand funded Waikato writer-in-residence, the Wellington author described the book as "a music history before it is a social or cultural history".

The International Festival Fund, supported by Creative New Zealand through the New Zealand Book Council, will see 15 authors visiting 10 festivals throughout the year. This is a significant increase on the previous year and represents greater demand from overseas festivals for our authors. Gavin Bishop, Bernard Beckett, Witi Ihimaera, Eleanor Catton, Sarah Laing, Dylan Horrocks, Lloyd Jones and Kate De Goldi are some of the authors who are appearing in Shanghai, Sydney, Perth, Edinburgh, Toronto Harbourfront and Edinburgh. It has been another big year for De Goldi, currently at the Edinburgh Festival, who has just been announced as the recipient of the 2011 Corine International Young Readers awards for The 10pm Question. It is awarded to German and international authors for literary achievement and recognition by the public.

Creative New Zealand has announced that a ‘one off’ fund of $1 million has been established to support New Zealand’s role as Country of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012. This fund will contribute towards significant literary and arts programmes in Germany in 2011 and 2012 in a project run by the Ministry for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

New Zealand was invited earlier this year to be Country of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, in a government-to-government agreement. It is an opportunity to present New Zealand’s literature, arts and culture at a prestigious, high profile international event.

Te Waka Toi Awards

From knighted professors to community heroes, those who have made an outstanding contribution to Māori arts were honoured at Wellington’s Town Hall in early September.

Established in 1986, the annual Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Awards are the only national Māori arts awards to celebrate achievement across all artforms.

Three hundred guests donned their ‘glad rags’ for an evening of elegant celebration conducted in te reo Māori with a translation service running throughout the awards ceremony.

“Whether they’re international icons, or the treasures of small communities; all of the award winners have invested in the future of Māori arts,” said Darrin Haimona, Chair of Te Waka Toi, the Māori arts board of Creative New Zealand.

“Our people champion a range of artforms. As we strengthen our roots and expand internationally, we must also celebrate the achievements of those who’ve already done so much” said Mr Haimona.

The Māori King, Te Arikinui Kīngi Tūheitia presented Distinguished Professor, Sir Sidney Moko Mead (Hirini) of Ngāti Awa with Te Tohu Aroha mo Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Recognised for his standing in education and iwi politics, Sir Sidney also writes stories, music and poems, and has published books on Māori arts and culture for 50 years. This makes him one of New Zealand’s most prolific writers.

Five kaumātua were awarded Ngā Tohu a Tā Kīngi Ihaka to acknowledge their extensive knowledge of an artform and their willingness to share that expertise to enrich their communities. Whānau and friends came from far and wide to pay tribute to; Ema Rogers (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau ā Apanui), Te Riaki Amoamo (Te Whakatōhea), Dr Ngapare Hopa (Tainui, Ngāti Tūwahretoa) Dr Marilynn Webb (Ngā Puhi) and Maika Mason (Ngāti Waewae, Poutini Ngāi Tahu) whose son Andrew accepted the award on his father’s behalf.

Emeritus Professor Sir Tamati Reedy’s (Ngāti Porou) life-long promotion of te reo Māori was recognised with Te Tohu Aroha mo Ngoi Kumeroa Pewhairangi. Acknowledged as a consummate speaker of the Māori language, the former Secretary of Māori Affairs lovingly credits his grandparents with his enduring passion for te reo.

Acclaimed contemporary artist Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui), received Te Tohu Toi Ke, the award for Making a Difference. Over 30 years, her work has promoted Māoritanga and proved important in the broadening perceptions of Māori art. Formerly an art teacher, Robyn Kahukiwa is now one of the most widely represented artists in New Zealand’s public art collections.

Two scholarships were presented to emerging artists; Wellington-based graphic designer and carving restorer, Tai Kerekere (Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, Ngāi Tai, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi) who is completing a Bachelor of Māori Art through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and visual artist and weaver Karangawai Marsh (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Arawa) who is studying for a Master’s degree in Māori Visual Arts at Massey University in Palmerston North.

What your Lotto dollar does for community arts

The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board makes major investment in arts, sport and film, and we thought we would highlight some of what their money does for the arts.

The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board investment in Creative New Zealand is about 60 percent of our total funding. In the 2010/11 financial year, this totalled $27,796,169, allowing us to realise the potential of thousands of artists, arts events, art works, works of literature and performances every year.

“Lotto and the arts are both aspirational. You buy a lotto ticket with the hope and aspiration that you’ll win and your life will be changed. Art can also trigger change, it can shift your perceptions, inspire you, and transform you,” says Creative New Zealand Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright.

High profile arts organisations and individuals, to community exhibitions and significant events – including artists and arts organisations in Christchurch – continue to benefit from New Zealanders buying Lotto tickets.

One area is our partnership with local government to support opportunities for local communities to participate in the arts, through the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS).

In the 2010/2011 financial year, CCS supported 1,742 projects nationally, including Whakatane's Summer Arts Festival. What began as a single-event art exhibition, 20 years ago, has grown into an annual extended arts season. This year it included a stone carving symposium, a Molly Morpeth Canaday art exhibition, Shakespeare in the Park, Jazz in the Park, local theatre and a street party.

Meanwhile, a Manawatu glass artist Ben Sablerolle presented a series of workshops to emphasise to young people the accessibility of glass as an artform. The project was delivered in conjunction with three local schools in Kimbolton, Apiti and Kiwitea. Not only did Ben showcase methods of working with both fused and blown glass work, he taught the children about the history of art glass, his approach to glass and its technology, equipment and safety, artistic identity, marketing and sales.

These examples are just a small representation of what the Creative Communities Scheme funds. To find out more about what can be funded contact your local council CCS administrator or go to our website.

World summit on arts

The 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture bringing together government and cultural leaders from more than 80 countries will be held in Melbourne on 2-6 October. The summit will explore how artists can work with diverse communities, and collaborate with experts in health and wellbeing, the environment, education, business, new technologies and cultural identity.

Taking part in the Creative New Zealand supported roundtable session Indigenous wisdom of place will be New Zealand independent film and television producer Tainui Stephens (Te Rarawa). Alongside indigenous speakers from Australia and Canada, he will be discussing how indigenous peoples can influence 21st century environmental behaviour through their intimate knowledge of the ‘country’, and their arts.

More information about the summit and the programme and how to register.

Exhibit your work on our website

There are two ways that artists, arts practitioners and arts organisations can showcase their Creative New Zealand-funded work on our website.
 

 

 

1. Image gallery to showcase and explain your work


You can create your own account, and for multiple works upload:

  • images – of completed work or the creative process
  • an excerpt describing the work
  • details of who was involved in the work
  • sound and video clips
  • links to reviews and other websites

Have a look at the work that has already been uploaded at Funded artists and their work.

If we’ve funded your work, sign-up and showcase it.
 

2. Photos of your work displayed on our homepage


Gain exposure for your work through our revolving image carousel by sending us high-resolution photos along with:

  • caption information (name of work, year, who is in it, etc)
  • credit information and any special instructions regarding the image(s)

We love to receive amazing photos of the work we fund so we can display them proudly on our website. You can send us great images whenever you have them so we can keep profiling and promoting your work on the Creative New Zealand website.

Send your photos to website@creativenz.govt.nz

Introducing new staff

To make it simpler and easier for our clients to access our services the number of our customer-facing teams has been reduced from four to two – broadly arts funding and capability building – with one senior manager overseeing each area.

Arts Funding includes Māori arts funding, Arts Grants, Quick Response Grants and Creative Communities Scheme, and the Arts Leadership Investment (Toi Tōtara Haemata) and Arts Development Investment (Toi Uru Kahikatea) programmes.

Joining the new team as Māori Arts Adviser is Tumarangai Sciascia who developed a lifelong passion for the arts after exposure by whanau and through Te Māori exhibition, Tamatea Arikinui kapa haka, and the Whitireia Performing Arts.

Māori arts funding continues to be managed by Haniko Te Kurapa, while Muriwai Ihakara takes up a new role as Senior Manager Māori Engagement.

Arts Policy, Capability Building and International includes arts policy development, international and national audience and market development, and capability building.

Joining that team as senior advisers for international projects are Jude Chambers and Belinda Jones. Jude was formerly Senior Programmes Adviser, Visual Arts, where she worked closely with the international team. She has had many years of arts management experience delivering a variety of funding programmes, partnerships and advocacy.

Belinda has worked for Creative New Zealand previously in visual arts, the Arts Organisations Development Programme and as adviser in audience and market development where she worked on the London Book Fair and the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM).

More information on the teams and staff biographies.