Funding | Te Waka Toi | FAQs
Maori arts - Te Waka Toi - help with your application
This section provides an informal guide to making an application for funding from Creative New Zealand. It needs to be read alongside the current Funding Guide, which lists the funding programmes and priorities and has copies of the application forms. The Funding Guide can be ordered or downloaded on this site.
Common questions
What do I put in my budget?
Please see our generic budget template for suggested budget headings. Also, our Application Workbook contains detailed advice on budgets. For further help with your budget please don't hesitate to contact one of our Advisers, Maori Arts.
Is there a best time to apply for funding?
The best time is when your project is ready. Don't just toss in an application because there's a funding deadline looming - the committee is looking for a well-developed proposal.
Is there a formula for a successful application?
To have a chance of success, you need to convince the committee that you have a coherent, well thought through project, and the ability to carry it through.
How does the separate funding from Te Waka Toi work?
Te Waka Toi is one of the two boards under the umbrella of the Arts Council. It currently has about $1,000,000 per annum to allocate. In general Te Waka Toi focuses on projects "by Maori (artists) and for Maori (audiences)" so a lot of artists who identify themselves as Tangata Whenua apply to the Arts Board instead, because they are creating and presenting for the general public.
There is also the Pacific Islands Arts Committee, which operates along similar lines and allocates about $300,000 in grants per annum.
When do I hear about the decision?
Three months after the funding deadline. So if you apply in the February round, you will hear back by the last week of May. If you apply in the July round, you will hear back by the last week of October.
You need to be planning well in advance so that you can apply for funding at least six months before your project is due to start. That overall plan can be part of your application and shows the Committee that you have a clear understanding of what is required and that you are able to deliver your project successfully.
Note: If your project starts within the three-month period after the deadline, it is likely that your application will be made ineligible.
How much should I ask for?
Be realistic and honest. First, break down each step of your project and work out the actual costs. List the other sources of income, including sponsorship. Identify how any grant will be used. Make sure your request is within the limitations of Te Waka Toi. Previous grants are published on this web-site and give examples of the levels of funding.
How do I get further advice?
Read all the booklets that Creative New Zealand publishes to get a better idea of what the aims of the organisation are.
Talk with someone who has received a Creative New Zealand grant, and get some tips on how they developed their project.
Always ring and ask the advice of the adviser well before you submit your application, to make sure you're heading in the right direction. The Arts Adviser is there to offer support where possible.
Adviser
For further information contact:
Haniko Te Kurapa
Email: hanikot@creativenz.govt.nz
(04) 473 0182
