27 July 2022

Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund - opens today

Kia ora koutou,  

Our major news this week is the opening of our Te Tahua Whakamarohi i te Rāngai Ahurea – Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund, which is designed to support strategic, sector-led initiatives that will have lasting benefits for arts, culture, and heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are also pleased to announce that we have been able to invest in the extension of the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme for another year (more on this below). 

The Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund will be the last new Fund that Manatū Taonga administers from the Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme, which is due to end in June 2023. We have $28m allocated to the new Fund. 

We have had a lot of interest in the Fund since we launched on 5 July. Thank you to the hundreds of people that joined us online for our info sessions (or watched a video recording), and to those that have contacted our friendly team at support.culture@mch.govt.nz. The questions raised have been wide and varied, and they have really helped us refine the guidance and information we have published about the Fund. 

We know from our engagement with the sector that there are lots of great ideas and initiatives out there. Our job, with your support, is to find and fund the initiatives that will make the biggest difference. The quality of ideas will inevitably mean that there will be strong competition for funding. However, we will do everything we can to prevent people wasting time on detailed paperwork. The door is also very much open for collaborative initiatives.  

As Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni says, “this is particularly important for many in the cultural sector, who collaborate to create but are confronted by competitive funding models.”  

Please do take a look and see if the new Fund is for you, and, check out my short overview video for the upcoming information sessions.  

Ngā mihi,    

Joe Fowler, Deputy Chief Executive Te Aka Tūhono Investment & Outcomes   

Regeneration Fund Expressions of Interest are open – now what?    

Expressions of Interest are now open for the Regeneration Fund until Wednesday 7 September. Before you submit your Expression of Interest, we recommend you check your initiative's fit with the fund by going through the Outcomes Questionnaire. 

The Expression of Interest will include a summary of your initiative, how much it will cost, and an Outcomes Questionnaire (which will be completed online). 

Two important documents have been made public today:  

• Guidance information for applicants, helping you to understand the Fund’s purpose, its outcomes, key timeframes, and the application process. 

• A Guide to the Outcomes Questionnaire – note: the questionnaire itself is an online process, applicants will need to enter responses through the online portal. 

We strongly recommend that you read both of these documents thoroughly and use the Guide to the Outcomes Questionnaire to self-assess the strength of your initiative's contribution to the Fund outcomes. 

If your initiative strongly contributes to the Fund’s outcomes, you may then choose to progress to complete the Expression of Interest and start the application process. 

Regeneration Fund Information Sessions  

The online sessions are an opportunity to find out more about the Regeneration Fund and ask questions. If you wish to attend, please register via the Regeneration Fund webpage. You can pre-register questions and accessibility requirements on the registration form. 

Regeneration Fund overview:

This session will give an overview of the Regeneration Fund and go into further detail about the Fund Outcomes, how to use the Outcomes Questionnaire and the Expression of Interest process. 

Thursday 28 July, 10-10.45am. This session will be recorded and NZSL interpreted.  

Safeguarding Mātauranga Māori Outcome session: 

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā pari karangaranga o te motu, tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai haere mai ki tēnei whakaaturanga e pā ana ki te whakawhanake i te manaakitanga o te Mātauranga Māori me te tautoko i ngā Toi Māori. Mauri Ora. 

This session will provide an overview of the Safeguarding Mātauranga Māori Outcome of the Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund.  
Friday 29 July, 1-1.45pm.

Q+A sessions:

These sessions will give a brief overview of the Fund, Fund Outcomes and Expression of Interest process, followed by breakout room question and answer sessions where you can ask questions in small groups. 

Friday 29 July, 10-10.45am 

Monday 1 August, 10-10.45am 

Monday 1 August, 3-3.45pm  

Tuesday 2 August, 10-10.45am  

Tuesday 2 August, 1-1.45pm  

Wednesday 3 August, 6-6.45pm  

Thursday 4 August, 3-3.45pm  

Friday 5 August, 1-1.45pm  

Please remember to register for a session that suits you, via the Regeneration Fund webpage 

We will be adding more sessions as needed. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the Fund and additional Q+A sessions. 

Government takes further action to protect Mātauranga Māori 

The Government is continuing to take action to support Māori to safeguard at-risk mātauranga from the ongoing threat of COVID-19, through the extension of the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme. 

“There is an urgent need to protect unique and vulnerable mātauranga Māori, working with kaumātua, tohunga, pūkenga and other knowledge holders to ensure its survival and resilience for future generations,” Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni said. 

The Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme was first launched in 2020 as part of the Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme. The programme provided $20 million of initial funding over the first two years to support more than 18 initiatives across the participating organisations.  

An integral part of the additional $4.5 million investment will go towards further rounds of the contestable Mātauranga Māori Marae Ora Fund, which supports marae-based projects that protect and revitalise mātauranga and taonga on marae across the motu. 

Initiatives were designed to deliver short-term relief as well as longer-term support to protect mātauranga from the impacts of COVID-19. Among these initiatives were wānanga and training programmes as well as initiatives that increase access to mātauranga and taonga in national heritage collections.  

Read more about the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme at this webpage. 

Commemorations Announcement 

The Government has announced its programme of historical anniversaries for the next five years, which acknowledges some of Aotearoa’s most important events. The National Commemorations Policy has also been refreshed so that future anniversaries are grouped by theme.  

“This new approach to grouping anniversaries will encourage kōrero about common threads across multiple anniversaries. The themes for the next five years include cultural identity, Māori rights and representation, creating a social safety net and our relationship with Pacific countries,” said Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni. 

“Some anniversaries will celebrate unique milestones in the development of our national identity, such as 75 years since the 1951 waterfront dispute and the centenary of our relationship with the Ross Dependency in Antarctica, both significant anniversaries coming up over the next five years. 

“The programme will also give opportunity to reflect on past injustices in order to create a better future. For example, in 2024 we will mark 50 years since the start of the Dawn Raids on Pacific peoples. In 2025, we will commemorate the 1975 Māori Land March from Te Hāpua in Northland to Wellington – a 1,000 km hīkoi led by Dame Whina Cooper to protest land laws which had a devastating impact on Māori

“Aotearoa’s artistic identity is also highlighted with the 50th anniversary of the first novel by a Māori author, Witi Ihimaera’s Tangi, and the 75th anniversary of the first wholly New Zealand-produced record, Ruru Karaitiana’s Blue Smoke.” 

Te Rōpū Matakite o Aotearoa march crossing Auckland Harbour Bridge, 1975. Archives New Zealand reference: BCCH 10887 A678 Box 1/s 

Manatū Taonga leadership changes 

Last week Manatū Taonga farewelled Bernadette Cavanagh, who served as Chief Executive and Secretary for Culture and Heritage since 2019. Ms Cavanagh takes up the position of Deputy Secretary Pacific and Development Group at Manatū Aorere Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade.  

Heather Baggott has returned to Manatū Taonga as Acting Chief Executive and Secretary for Culture and Heritage.  Heather is a highly experienced senior public servant and will be known to many in the arts, culture and heritage sectors from her time as Group Manager, Delivery from 2016-18. She was appointed Deputy Public Service Commissioner, a statutory role, in October 2021. 

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission is currently in the process of recruiting for Ms Cavanagh’s permanent replacement. 

Contact us

If you have any questions about any of our funding opportunities, please email us at Support.Culture@mch.govt.nz   

More information

• For the latest information on other initiatives in the Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme, see the Manatū Taonga website
• If you have specific questions, email us at Support.Culture@mch.govt.nz
• ​Received this email via a colleague? Why not subscribe to receive the next update directly.