The Cultural Diplomacy International Programme (CDIP) helps promote New Zealand’s artistic culture internationally, while also making key business and diplomatic connections through the presentation of New Zealand’s dynamic culture.

For 2011 the fund supported creative projects onshore rather than offshore to engage with the many Rugby World Cup visitors to our shores; this provides an opportunity to connect with hundreds of business professionals from different industries around the globe.

This year’s CDIP projects supported the REAL New Zealand Festival, funding a range of engaging experiences for our visitors to share and enjoy.

2011 projects:

NZSO

Odes to Joy

The NZSO performed Beethoven's epic Ninth Symphony with home-grown opera stars Jonathan Lemalu, Simon O'Neill and Madeleine Pierard backed by New Zealand's leading choirs. Odes to Joy featured the world premiere of an especially-commissioned work by Gareth Farr, acclaimed among today's composers for his spectacular sound worlds. An opulent evening with New Zealand's classical all-stars!

Brahmissimo!

The NZSO brought Wellington four breathless days of passion with Brahmissimo!, a four-day festival celebrating the magic of Johannes Brahms.  On the eve of the most anticipated sporting final in a generation, saw Dame Kiri Te Kanawa for A Gala Evening with the NZSO –  a glittering night of well-loved arias and classical favourites from one of the world's great and beloved voices.

Te Matatini – Arohanui

Using Kapa Haka to showcase the breadth of expression of Māori cultural identity through Māori performing arts, ‘Arohanui – The Greatest Love’ portrayed a classic love story, encompassing the essentials of love, hate, war and passion, highlighting the many facets and expressions of both traditional and contemporary Māori performing arts.  

Westfield Style Pasifika – Best of Pasifika NZ

WESTFIELD STYLE PASIFIKA - Best of Pasifika NZ is the story of our nation told on an arena event scale using the best lighting, staging, sound and performance. Cultural, traditional and contemporary elements will be woven into something truly unique.  The event showcased winning local designs from the annual Westfield Style Pasifika Fashion Awards. It also featured a one-off collection by celebrated NZ fashion designers and a unique showcase of top international fashion designs from every country in the Rugby World Cup Tournament.

Oceania – Te Papa and City Gallery Wellington

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the City Gallery Wellington presented Oceania, a dual exhibition which traversed the Pacific region and journeys into the history, art and soul of Oceania.  

Traveling back in time, Te Papa's exhibition Oceania : early encounters explored Pacific, Māori, and European peoples’ response to the new technologies, materials and ideas that were part of their early encounters. City Gallery’s complementary exhibition, Oceania: imagining the Pacific offered an opportunity to experience the works of leading modern and contemporary Māori, Pacific and Palangi artists from throughout the Pacific region alongside ancient Māori and Pacific taonga (treasures).

CDIP ordinarily focuses on supporting New Zealand creativity offshore – therefore sharing our talents with an international audience. After the Rugby World Cup and Real New Zealand festival CDIP will return to its usual funding scheme of funding projects taking place overseas.

What kinds of projects do we fund?

Here’s a list of some of the kinds of projects we’ve funded offshore in the past – to give you an idea of the work CDIP does.

Moana and the Tribe

Moana and the Tribe conducted a CDIP funded performance tour to Taiwan in July 2010. An outdoor concert at the Hualien Summer Festival attracted an audience of more than 3,000 people.  They also performed on the TiTV live show which can receive up to 600,000 viewers.

Nathan Haines

Nathan Haines and his band visited Jakarta during March 2010.  He performed as the Jakarta International Jazz Festival (Java Jazz) as well as playing at the Paramadina University. He played to large audiences during the course of the Jazz Festival.

City of London

Toi Māoris’ waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa based at the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, Holland was invited to participate in the City of London Festival on the 1st July 2011 on the Thames River with the support of the Ministry. 

We also supported Footnote who rolled out a special red carpet for a brand new work which featured six dancers of this contemporary dance company and was set to music by Fat Freddy’s Drop, Flight of the Conchords and the Black Seeds.

2012 projects

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

The New Zealand Waka preparations are well underway for the Queens Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in London on 3 June.

A crew of 14 has been selected and commenced training at the end of March.  Toi Māori’s ceremonial waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa (The Link to New Zealand) will once again feature on the Thames River as it did last year during the City of London Festival in July 2011.

 Te Hono ki Aotearoa is an 84 minute documentary on the commissioning, the making, the launch and the emotional handover of the waka to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, 2010 will screen in New Zealand cinemas during the World Cinema Showcase.

Read related press release issued in March 2012.