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Expansion of oversubscribed arts fund proposed

Expansion of oversubscribed arts fund proposed

A significant expansion of Wellington City Council funding for arts and culture has been proposed by today’s meeting of the Council’s Economic Growth and Arts Committee.

The committee today agreed to allocate about $400,000 in funding to 26 organisations and events with most - $330,000 - allocated to:
• Newtown Festival
• Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society
• Taki Rua Productions
• Fringe Festival
• Young and Hungry Arts Trust
• New Zealand Portrait Gallery.

A further $69,000 has been allocated to another 20 organisations and initiatives for one-off projects (see attached tables).

Most committee members agreed the Council’s Arts and Culture Fund is seriously oversubscribed and that an increase in the size of the fund should be considered as part of the 2016-17 Annual Plan deliberations.

The decisions followed submissions by a number of delegations to today’s committee meeting – most argued that the recommended funding allocations fell short of what was needed.

Some $870,000 in funding was collectively sought by almost 60 organisations for both project and annual funding.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the Arts and Culture Fund is heavily oversubscribed. She successfully moved that the Council consider an increase in the fund as part of the Annual Plan deliberations. “All of the organisations that applied to us make hugely important contributions to Wellington’s Creative Capital status.

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“These groups not only make the city compellingly attractive to Wellingtonians but they also enhance the Capital’s reputation both nationally and internationally.”

She says the Council has steadily increased funding for the arts and creative sector in general – with a significant funding increase for the New Zealand Festival in the 2015 Long-term Plan an example. “But it’s important to review the level of funding for the groups that were the subject of today’s decisions.”

Committee Chair Councillor Jo Coughlan says all of the organisations that have secured three-year funding arrangements make critical contributions that provide opportunities for the city’s arts communities. “These organisations are critical to Wellington. They are considered a feature of Wellington’s unique sense of place.”

“It is a real priority for this Council to put more focus on this funding – and to strengthen our Creative Capital status. We need to work hard to protect that status and to look at the prioritisation of these applications.”

And The Council’s Arts Portfolio Leader, Councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, says the grants acknowledge the Council’s essential role in keeping arts, music and literature vibrant in the Capital. “This is money well-spent – it’s about keeping the city’s creative infrastructure healthy and thriving.”

Cr Ahipene-Mercer says he is disappointed that the Council can’t provide more arts and culture funding. “This fund is massively oversubscribed – and personally I think the Council should be increasing the size of this fund by $1 million or $2 million.”

Arts and Culture Funding- three-year funding (from 1 July 2016)
OrganisationCommentGranted- per year
Young and Hungry Arts TrustSupport for annual youth theatre festival$20,000
Creative Capital Arts TrustSupport for annual NZ Fringe Festival.$120,000
Taki Rua Productions Society IncProviding leadership for Maori theatre, supporting local theatre practitioners and groups.$35,000
Katherine Mansfield Birthplace SocietySupport for the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace.$75,000
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery TrustOperational support for the waterfront National Portrait Gallery.$20,000
Newtown Residents Association IncSupport for the annual Newtown Festival with additional support through community events.$63,240
Total$333,240

Arts and Culture Fund, March 2016 Funding round
OrganisationProjectGranted
Binge Culture Collective LimitedStranger in Town- theatrical work.$3,000
Enjoy Public Art GallerySupport for visual arts gallery$7,000
KidzStuff Theatre IncKidzStuff Season 2016$2,000
Latin American Film Festival (Embassy of Argentina)The 2016 Latin American & Spain Film Festival$2,000
Making Friends CollectiveStand Up Love/Wine Lips$3,000
New Zealand Film Festival TrustNew Zealand International Film Festival, Wellington (NZIFF)$5,000
New Zealand Polish Film Festival TrustWellington Polish Film Festival$3,000
New Zealand School of DanceTu Move youth dance project$2,500
Pablos Art Studios IncorporatedFunding for the ROAR! gallery (Pablos Art Studios art gallery).$5,000
Show Me Shorts Film Festival Trust BoardThe 11th Annual Show Me Shorts Film Festival$3,000
St Andrew's on The TerraceSeries of lunchtime concerts$2,500
Te Koki- New Zealand School of MusicNew Zealand School of Music Orchestra and Wellington Youth Orchestra combined concert$3,000
The Community Performing Arts TrustLet'sMakeWorkTogether- Development Season$3,000
The GlamaphonesThe Glamaphones Concert Series- celebrating 30 years of Homosexual Law Reform$2,500
The Miramar and Maupuia Community Trust IncMatariki event at the Miramar and Maupuia Community Centre$500
The Playground New Zealand LtdThe Performance Arcade 2017$6,000
The Wellington Treasure TrustDelivery of the third LitCrawl event for Wellington$6,000
Voice Arts TrustSupport for the work of Voice Arts Trust$5,000
Wellington Elim International ChurchTennyson Street Fair$2,000
Wellington Filipino Sports Organization Inc.Philippine Festival in Wellington 2016 (Pistang Pilipino 2016 sa Wellington)$3,000
Total$69,000

ENDS

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