$121 million funding boost to support the Arts, Culture & Heritage sector
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Carmel Sepuloni has announced that the Government is delivering a $121 million funding boost to support the arts and cultural sector through this latest phase of the pandemic.
The etra funding comes from the Governments Covid Response and Recovery Fund.
"Artists, musicians, creatives and performers across the motu have been both generous & instrumental in supporting & promoting the Govt’s COVID-19 response & vaccination efforts. I acknowledge & appreciate every effort this sector has made, because they’ve helped save lives.
Now it is the government's opportunity to respond quickly & throw our support behind the sector, which has served New Zealanders so well during the pandemic." - Minister Sepuloni
Designed to cushion the blow from Omicron after the Events Calendar was sabotaged, the funding will supports artists and arts practitioners (who are usually sole traders/self-employed individuals), arts organisations, the screen sector, as well as support for performances and events that were planned before the move to Red.
An additional $70.7m in funding will to the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme, originally set at $22.5m. It will be extended by 10 months until January 31, 2023, to include events planned before the whole country moved to the red traffic light setting.
The scheme includes an obligation to make full payment, as if the event had gone ahead, to artists, performers and production crew and/or organisations, and the scheme would now also cover cancellations due to a lead performer getting Covid or needing to isolate.
Tree Vaifale Manu was scheduled to perform at One Love Festival with a number of Pacific Islands artists until it was cancelled due to restrictions on numbers under Red.
The Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme is already underway, and payments are being made to events that have cancelled due to the recent move to Red. Events newly eligible for the scheme will be able to register within a week.
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The Screen Production Recovery Fund has been boosted by $15 million. $7.9 million of the funding will be allocated to New Zealand Film Commission and $7.1 million allocated to New Zealand on Air.
“This support will go a long way to minimising the impacts of COVID-19 and give some stability to the industry,” said David Strong, NZFC Chief Executive.
The Screen Recovery package has enabled domestic productions to access private finance and maintain production during the pandemic and provides surety for financiers that productions will not fall over due to government restrictions.
Other support includes:
- The Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund which has been provided an additional $35.5 million to fund more direct support for individuals and organisations
- The limit on funding for individual organisations has been increased from $100,000 to $300,000.
- A one-off grant of $5,000 will be available to eligible self-employed individuals/sole traders in the arts and cultural sector who have lost income or opportunities to work.
Independent artists – freelancers that worked project to project – would benefit from the added security the one-off grant would provide.
Independent artist Pati Solomona Tyrell
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The COVID-19 Omicron Relief Funding will be led and delivered by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. For more information visit their website
The People Weaver shared these tips with us in regards to applying for funding and the grants available.
Check them out in the instagram tiles below -