The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is almost –
but not quite – lost for words over Budget 2022’s
announcement of another $185 million in arts and heritage
grants.
Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says,
“We were amazed when the Government decided it was
appropriate to respond to a novel coronavirus with more than
$300 million in grants for art projects. We were amazed
again when they topped that up to $495 million. Now
they’ve topped it up again by another $185 million, and
are still calling it a COVID
response!”
“The Government boasts that this
spending will ‘strengthen and complement’ the Arts and
Culture COVID Recovery Programme –the same programme that
saw taxpayer money allocated toward ‘indigenised
hypno-soundscapes’ and interpretive dances about the
impact of COVID.”
“The $18 million specifically
set aside to ‘celebrate Te Ao Maori’ seems especially
indulgent – Maori face very real problems in housing and
education that will not be solved with arts, crafts, and
theatre.”
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