Te Pāti Māori are fed up with the second class treatment of Māori arts, after Te Matatini was yet again underfunded in this year’s Budget.

“The Government is trying to bamboozle you by telling you they have invested the biggest boost ever into Te Matatini” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“Let's look at the numbers in relative terms so you can see what they aren't telling you. $4 million is being invested into Te Matatini over 4 years. That is only $1million extra per year. Te Matatini now gets $2.9 million per year. The Royal NZ Ballet also got an extra $1million. They now receive $8.1m per year.

“The Symphony Orchestra was the winner of the Budget with an extra $3million per year. They now get $19.7 million per year.

“We are still no better off than we were last year and in actual fact, we are worse off with the extra boost given to the Symphony Orchestra.

“Still crumbs. Still not good enough. Still happy to exploit tangata whenua for our cultural and intellectual property to boost our international image, and give bugger all in return” said Waititi.

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