Government announces major investment in arts, culture and heritage

Pre-Budget announcement on 18 May 2000

Prime Minister Helen Clark today announced a significant injection of funding into the arts, culture and heritage sector which, she said, will allow New Zealand's arts and culture to flourish and create jobs and growth in the industry.

Today's announcement sees an initial injection of over $80 million into the sector and then ongoing funding increases of over $20 million a year in each of the next three years. The announcement also includes a series of one-off payments to organisations such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Historic Places Trust.

A major new initiative sees the establishment of a Film Production Fund. There will also be a Music Industry Commission established to support the growth of popular music.

Helen Clark said that the government was honouring an election commitment to increase public investment in the sector. She said the new funding would contribute towards enriching New Zealand's cultural framework while also creating employment and economic opportunities.

"A nation can be rich in every material sense, but, if it fails to provide for and nurture creative expression, it is impoverished in immeasurable ways. Our arts, our culture and our heritage define and strengthen us as a country, as communities and as individuals. This sector expresses our unique national identity.

"Our government has a vision of a vibrant arts, cultural and creative sector which all New Zealanders can enjoy. This sector can also provide sustainable and rewarding employment, and contribute a great deal to economic growth and prosperity.

"There will be considerable economic spin-offs from the significant investment we are making in the film and music industries. In addition, regional projects, such as the new Christchurch Art Gallery and the Edwin Fox restoration project in Picton, will provide an economic benefit to those regions. Heritage tourism is a major foreign exchange earner world wide.

"Today's announcement addresses not only the severe under-funding of the arts, culture and heritage sector in recent years. It also acknowledges the positive economic impact of investment in our creative industries," Helen Clark said.

The package includes:

• $20 million injection of funding into Creative New Zealand (the Arts Council of New Zealand).
• $22 million establishment grant to a new Film Production Fund.
• $2 million to establish a Music Industry Commission.
• An extra $7 million annual funding to NZ On Air, including $2 million for its music-related work, and $5 million for New Zealand TV programmes, especially children's TV. A cash injection of up to $27.909 million will be available to cover NZ On Air's shortfall this year after the last government's abrupt abolition of the Broadcasting Fee.
• A $3 million capital injection into the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this year and an extra $1.4 million annually.
• An extra $2 million per annum operating funding for Te Papa and an extra $9 million per annum capital funding.
• A payment of $943,000 this year for the New Zealand Film Archive to extend its services.
• A cash injection of $760,000 this year into the Royal New Zealand Ballet to stabilise its finances.
• A $3 million cash injection this year for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's new Preservation Fund, a Maori eritage Development Fund, and enhancement of the Trust's national register. There is also a $170,000 budget increase this year, and an annual budget increase of $500,000 in following years.
• $6.474 million towards the development of the new Christchurch Art Gallery.
• $300,000 towards the restoration of the Picton-based historic ship, the Edwin Fox.
• The Ministry for Culture and Heritage receives extra funding to enhance its ability to advise on cultural policy and to cover a range of transferred responsibilities.