In 2021/22, the COVID Cultural Recovery Programme helped organisations in the cultural sector to remain financially viable and continue operating. This included preserving and creating new employment.

High-level modelling showed that the programme provided additional jobs in the cultural sector and wider economy. The programme also supported a wide range of capability and skills development for creative practitioners, staff and community members. These activities are likely to build a stronger arts, culture and heritage ecosystem, including in areas such as infrastructure to support the preservation and protection of mātauranga and taonga Māori.

Highlights

Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme – Reimbursement and financial security was provided to thousands of creatives, support staff and organisations in the events sector for events affected by COVID-19.

Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund – 64 organisations (totalling $3.6 million) and approximately 1,300 individuals (totalling nearly $6.5 million, with individuals receiving $5,000 each) were provided direct financial support.

Screen Production Recovery Fund – The New Zealand Film Commission administered support for more than 41 productions to adopt COVID-19 health and safety measures and maintain operations and staffing. This included preserving and creating over 2,850 jobs for crew and actors.

New Zealand Music Recovery – New Zealand Music Venue Infrastructure Fund— More than 680 employees across 70 small venues in 25 towns and cities were supported through this fund which resulted in 95% of these venues being able to continue trading. 76.5% of venue owners surveyed in May 2022 said their venue would not have survived the pandemic without the support of the fund.

New Zealand Music Recovery – Aotearoa Touring Programme – 142 tours by New Zealand artists across 132 towns and cities were funded through the programme. This provided income for musicians, music workers and support personnel involved in the delivery of the tours.

Public Interest Journalism Fund – Rounds 2 and 3 of the Fund (administered by NZ On Air) supported 140 new roles and 10 training schemes to preserve and enhance at-risk public service journalism in newsrooms at the local, regional and national levels. These roles included journalists and reporters, editors, translators and audience engagement staff.

Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku – More than 180 employment opportunities were supported across the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kotuku programme. The programme supported projects that pay fees to artists and other specialist practitioners to ensure continuity of practices and support intergenerational knowledge transmission. Eight internships were created in partnership with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, the National Library of New Zealand, Archives New Zealand and Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as two internships in partnership with Te Matatini to support preparations for the national kapa haka festival.

Pasifika Festivals Initiative – Tasi ’21 Wave funding supported 16 festival organisations across 10 regions to remain financially viable and continue operations. This included preserving and creating 56 FTE roles or fixed-term contracts.

Museum Hardship Fund – The fund covered basic operating costs, staff wages and collection and building maintenance. This included the preservation and creation of 59 staff roles (mostly part-time).

Creative Spaces (CARE Fund) – This fund supported 54 creative spaces to deliver additional resourcing hours within their organisation, leading to a 19% increase in the number of employees.

Creative Careers Service Pilot –This initiative supported creative professionals to develop non-creative skills including business planning, applying for grants, marketing and branding, social media, networking, legal and financial advice, as well as building the confidence to face the challenges of COVID-19. Māori participants also noted the importance of having a culturally safe environment when engaging in skills development programmes.

Funding from the COVID Recovery Programme supported the preservation and protection of mātauranga and taonga Māori. The funding contributed to the Crown’s responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi to support te tino rangatiratanga of iwi/hapū over their taonga.

The Programme helped to preserve and grow opportunities for cultural participation throughout New Zealand. The Programme supported the creation of new works and content and provided funding to address barriers to cultural participation and increase access to cultural opportunities for some groups, including Māori and Pacific peoples.

Highlights

The Arts and Culture Events Support Scheme – 110 insured events went ahead, including 47 that received some reimbursement from the scheme, with an estimated total audience of 379,000 people.

Creatives in Schools Programme – In Funding Round 3, almost all teachers who were involved (95%) said the programme enabled students to participate in creative practices they might not otherwise have access to.

Cultural Sector Innovation Fund – Of the 185 projects funded, 41% were identified as supporting Māori arts and culture. Many projects focused on directly enhancing, nourishing or transmitting mātauranga Māori.

Cultural Sector Capability Fund – Out of the 39 projects funded via Capability Fund (contestable fund delivered by Manatū Taonga), 27 (69%) reported that the project would contribute to the adaptation and continued practice of ngā toi Māori and tiaki taonga in a COVID-19 environment.

Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme – Over 160 wānanga were held with at least 1,870 attendees on a variety of kaupapa supporting the protection, retention and transmission of mātauranga Māori. The Programme also created opportunities for cultural participation, with at least 28,000 people attending events supported by Te Papa and Creative New Zealand Te Awe Kōtuku funding.

New Zealand Music Recovery – New Zealand Music Venue Infrastructure Fund – 70 venues were funded to host original New Zealand music performances and improve COVID-related health and safety measures. Combined, funding recipients hosted over 96 performances of original New Zealand music every week – nearly 5,000 shows in 12 months.

Pasifika Festivals Initiative – Funding increased festival providers’ capability and capacity to deliver festivals with online and digital components. This included building new digital infrastructure (e.g., website and platforms) as well as new online features (such as live streaming and engagement with social media), which helped to increase the size and quality of events and audience participation.

The COVID Cultural Recovery Programme was delivered in a way that supported iwi/Māori relationships and partnerships throughout New Zealand in their community aspirations, mātauranga and taonga. This included partnerships within the community, across the cultural sector and with Government.

The Programme supported new collaborations between Government, the cultural sector and the wider community. These collaborations have led to new opportunities to increase sustainability, revitalise mātauranga and taonga and foster innovation.

The Programme funded a range of projects that aim to develop unique and innovative solutions to address ongoing challenges and create new opportunities for the cultural sector. However, in-depth insights about innovation were not available in 2021/22. This will be an area of focus for impacts reporting in 2022/23.

Highlights

Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku–Marae Ora –Between 2020 and 2022, 116 marae communities were funded to retain, protect or transmit their mātauranga and care for their taonga. Of these, 78 received funding in 2021/22 totaling $4.4 million.

Pasifika Festivals Initiative – A co-design ‘Kaupapa Pasifika’ approach was used in the delivery of this initiative featuring partnerships between Government agencies, delivery partners and festival organisers. The co-design process included participation in a series of Zono, talanoa via Zoom, drop-in sessions and in-person discussions. This approach facilitated the building of a cohesive Pasifika Festivals network and strengthened the va of the Pasifika Festivals ecosystem

Cultural Activators Pilot (CARE Fund) – A new approach was used to activate the arts in lower population regions and underserved communities. Eight Cultural Activators collaborated with their communities to tell their stories, build creative skills and connect to opportunities in the wider cultural sector.

Creatives in Schools Programme – Participants reported strong relationship building between creatives, teachers and students. For example, in 2021/22, 65% of creatives said the programme helped to build transferrable skills in networking and connecting with places, and 70% of creatives felt it helped them to build skills to collaborate with schools and teachers (26% reported already being skilled in this area). In Funding Round 3, almost all teachers (94 out of 95) said the project helped them connect well with students to share ideas and experiences, and 85% said the project increased their confidence to collaborate with creatives in the future.

Cultural Sector Innovation Fund – The Fund invested $32.7 million to support 185 projects across New Zealand, which aimed to provide innovative solutions in the key areas of increasing commercial opportunities for the cultural sector, building sector sustainability and resilience, increasing access and cultural participation and safeguarding mātauranga Māori. The fund fostered new collaborations between Manatū Taonga, funding applicants and the broader cultural sector. This was the primary focus of the application stage, which was delivered through a series of workshop events throughout New Zealand called Te Urungi attended by approximately 1000 creative practitioners.

Museum Hardship Fund – Several funding recipients reported that the support to remain operational had flow-on effects and strengthened the relationships with their communities and other stakeholders.