Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund Announces First Tranche Of Recipients

Over $3 million in funding has been awarded to five cultural sector initiatives that have strong potential to provide lasting benefits for arts, culture and heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The first recipients of the $28 million Te Tahua Whakamarohi i te Rāngai Ahurea Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund have been announced today, after opening on 27 July for Expressions of Interest. There are three remaining funding rounds to be announced before June 2023.

"The Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund will conclude the funding allocated by Manatū Taonga from the 3-year Covid Recovery Programme agreed by Cabinet in 2020," says Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage Tumu Whakarae, Chief Executive Laulu Mac Leauanae.

"It is critical that this funding supports initiatives that will have a lasting impact, and improve outcomes for the arts, culture and heritage sectors and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand over the coming years

"We are proud to have the opportunity to support and work with the five organisations receiving funding in this first round of the Fund - and we can’t wait to see the impact that the funding will have on the arts, culture and heritage sectors, and the thousands of people that will benefit."

The five recipients span cultural sectors, regional boundaries and community interests - all were able to demonstrate the impact they will have in areas such as job creation, removing barriers to participation in the arts, skill development, and supporting self-sustaining long-term resilience. The successful initiatives are:

Oyster Workshop: Up to $575,750 to deliver an end-to-end commercial sustainability system for Māori and Pacific arts practitioners to access and benefit from local and international markets and build capability through a proven development programme.

Creative Waikato: Up to $725,000 to create, digitise and deliver capability building resources to artists, deliver creative activation in regional communities, and enable more creative workplace wellbeing practice in the broader communities of the Waikato region.

Toro Tairāwhiti Limited: Up to $786,000 to revitalise Mātauranga Māori by supporting the development of digital storytelling for around 30 marae and building and testing cost effective tools and techniques that marae will be able to use to record and revitalise their mātauranga. Three interns per marae will also be supported to build local capability.

Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu: Up to $495,150 to establish a self-sustaining New Zealand audio book industry by scaling-up the production of locally produced audio books.

Human Performance Incorporated: Up to $492,070 to support the development of cultural infrastructure in the lead up to the opening of MOVE; an innovative movement arts centre sited in Parakiore, Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Manatū Taonga Pou Mataaho o Te Aka Tūhono, Deputy Chief Executive Investment and Outcomes Joe Fowler, who led the development of the Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund, said the first five initiatives received support because they could demonstrate long-term, sustainable benefits to the cultural sectors.

"Interest in the Regeneration Fund was incredibly high and attracted many high-quality proposals in the first Round. We’re confident therefore that the five organisations selected for funding will contribute strongly to the outcomes that the Regeneration Fund was set-up to support. We share their goals and aspirations.

"The five successful initiatives demonstrated high levels of support from the cultural sector, strong potential to turn the initial funding into long-term sustainable outcomes and clear plans to maximise the impact of the funding on the arts, culture heritage sectors and the wider community.

"Three more funding rounds remain and our team continue to engage with those who submitted an Expression of Interest, supporting them to understand the purpose of the fund and to refine their applications for the future rounds, which will be completed before June 2023," says Joe Fowler.

© Scoop Media