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| News in Arts, Culture and Heritage from the Office of Hon Judith Tizard |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Welcome to the Tizard Revue
Sadly, it has also been a time when some of our arts mentors have passed on, including poet Allen Curnow, painter Shona McFarlane and broadcaster-historian Shirley Maddock, along with a talented young man, Eneasi Kama, whose band The Mercenaries performed at the Silver Scrolls and feature on the latest Indie Hit Disc. It is important that we all strive to live bigger and better lives in their honour. A new initiative launched this month by Employment and Social Services Minister Steve Maharey and myself will help emerging artists to develop professionally and reach independence in their careers. PACE - Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment - is the first step to better incomes for artists. It is a new Job Seekers Agreement between emerging artists and cultural workers and Work and Income New Zealand. The Ministries of Social Development and Culture & Heritage have worked closely on this issue with Employment and Social Services Minister Steve Maharey and me. Praise must go to Creative NZ and several regional arts organisations that have inspired us with their existing schemes around the country, and to the Department of Work and Income who have brought their staff up to speed on the new developments. I recently met with the national coordinators of the new Arts Curriculum, which rolls out nationally in 2003. I'm excited that this is yet another way of developing the creative skills of our young people. I believe that a strong base in arts and culture helps us all to be better New Zealanders.
Judith Tizard
Its two basic purposes are: to allow artists to register "arts" as their first choice career; and to allow Work and Income case managers to concentrate on identifying and strengthening the skills an artist needs to develop professionally in order to work full-time as an artist. A PACE Resource Pack has been developed for Winz case managers to show PACE clients about the arts & cultural opportunities that exist in New Zealand. PACE applies to artists and cultural workers - such as practitioners involved in arts administration, preservation, production, curation. It builds on a commitment in Labour's Uniquely New Zealand manifesto to better support developing artists who demonstrate an ability and intent to follow an arts-based career. Work & Income in Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson and Auckland have been working towards a better relationship with artists for some time. An arrangement between Dunedin Work & Income and the Dunedin arts organisation, The Higher Trust, was recently formalised with a contract for the Dunedin Arts Employment Service to provide support and research. At the launch in Auckland, Antony Deaker from the Higher Trust said PACE is "the icing on the cake" for the work he has been involved with in Dunedin. "This is about standing up tall and straight and saying 'this is who I am', rather than the traditional invisibility artists have endured at employment services. The staff at DWI know what they're doing and they do it well." The launch at Kingsland Central featured an exhibition by emerging artists who had completed an Arts Work professional development programme in conjunction with Work & Income NZ. There is much more happening in this area, including an upcoming website, and more research to emerge from Dunedin. * more information about PACE is available on-line at www.winz.govt.nz/find_a_job/arts_culture
Last year the government put $22 million toward the establishment of the NZ Film Production Fund to support the production of films in New Zealand on a larger scale. Whale Rider's also has other investors, including the Film Commission & overseas financiers. Helen Clark says "It is important, both culturally and for the economy, that we have a strong and vibrant local film industry. Whale Rider is an exciting venture and demonstrates that the public and private sectors can work together." (www.nzfilm.co.nz)
Prime Minister Helen Clark says: "With all three of the trilogy's films shot at a range of locations throughout New Zealand, Lord of the Rings presents a unique opportunity to showcase our country to the world. There are significant and ongoing spin-offs for the tourism, computer software, film-making, wine and food and dozens of other local industries." The initiatives are being co-ordinated by Pete Hodgson, "Minister for Lord of the Rings", who meets regularly with a ministerial committee that includes myself, Jim Anderton, Mark Burton, Jim Sutton and Trevor Mallard.
Cultural Recovery
The Greater Te Papa project culminated in October when Prime Minister Helen Clark opened 1,500 square metres of additional exhibition space, four new visual art exhibitions and greatly improved access to galleries. In September, I travelled to New Plymouth to announce the first three recipients of funding under the government's Regional Museums Policy. The three projects to receive funds from the $2.55 million (incl GST) in the 2001/02 year are the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore, the Wairarapa Arts and History Centre in Masterton, and Puke Ariki Museum & Library Project in New Plymouth. I believe the enthusiasm and expertise of the three successful recipients show what can be achieved with vision, community pride and dedication to excellence. In 2002/03, funding of $5 million will be available under the Regional Museums Policy, rising to a permanent baseline of $7.5 million in 2003/04. Meanwhile, a new gallery at the Otago Museum, which celebrates the natural and human history of the region, received a funding boost from the Minister of Tourism. Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson presented the museum with a cheque for $62,125 from the Tourism Facilities Grant programme for the new Southern Land, Southern People Gallery. Tourism Minister Mark Burton believes the new gallery will enhance Otago Museum's reputation as a tourist destination. The Ministry of Education has allocated $1.325 million over four years to the Music Industry Commission to promote NZ contemporary popular music and assist with implementing the music side of the Arts Curriculum, which gives renewed focus to performing arts. The Music Industry Commission was established with Cultural Recovery Package funding with the goal of growing the NZ music industry. As part of this role, the Commission (www.nzmusic.org.nz) sees involvement at a school level as vital to nurturing an audience that values New Zealand music, and nurturing the young musicians who are the future of the NZ music industry. The Ministry of Education-Music Commission partnership will see professional musicians acting as mentors in schools, regional Rockquest finalists matched with professional bands who will provide support, advice and share a school concert, and free music education resources produced including a CD Rom featuring a variety of NZ music genres. Ideas for exciting and new New Zealand opera or for revitalizing languishing operas are wanted now from composers and writers. Creative New Zealand is funding Wild Opera, an initiative to develop new NZ opera. Six to eight proposals will be selected for presentation at the Wild Opera Showcase in May 2002. The closing date for proposals is 30 November 2001. More information is available from the Centre for New Zealand Music (SOUNZ) Ph 04 801 8602 or info@sounz.org.nz .
National War Memorial Advisory Council
Museum of New Zealand Board
NZ Historic Places Trust
Creative New Zealand
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