Third Round of Regeneration Fund announced - 2 June 2023

Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme

2 June 2023

In this issue:

Third round of Regeneration Fund recipients announced
Changes announced to screen sector support
Spotlight: Small Hall Sessions wrap up Hawkes Bay tour
Katherine Mansfield’s Europe: Station to Station
Have your say about Creating Safer Online Spaces and Media Platforms
Regional Culture and Heritage Fund open for applications
Less than 50 days until FIFA Women’s World Cup kick off

Third Round of Regeneration
Fund announced

Tēnā koutou

It’s been a long time coming, but on Monday we were able to announce the third round of funding decisions for the Regeneration Fund. There were 42 initiatives funded with up to $11.4 million through the third round. This is on top of the 27 initiatives supported through rounds one and two, which received over $10 million.

Although it wasn’t intentional, it has been quite fitting that we were able to make the announcement during New Zealand Music Month. We are privileged to be able to support some well-established and grassroots initiatives that will help develop the next generation of musicians and support creatives across Aotearoa to continue to shape our unique cultural landscape. This includes $1.2 million to support the Centre for New Zealand Music Trust, our single largest initiative so far, which will deliver a range of high-impact projects that support the revitalisation of Māori and Moana Pacific music.

There are also music projects with a strong youth focus. I have personal experience of trying to ‘make it’ as a musician and I remember how important it was to have places to rehearse and collaborate and people around that could offer advice and support. Sadly, no amount of support could make up for my paucity of talent(!), but I had a great time and learned a lot. I hope that these projects will open the doors for future generations to enjoy music, pursue a career in the creative sectors, or take what they learn into other areas of work and life as I have done.

We are really happy with the diverse range of initiatives that we have been able to support – and the spread of activity that will take place across the country over the next 12 months or so. We recognise that COVID has a ‘long-tail’ for the creative sectors, and we are doing everything we can to make sure that this last bit of funding generates opportunities into the future.

We only have one more round of the Regeneration Fund now and the Panel will reconvene in a couple of weeks. We’ve invited 35 proposals into the final round, all of which have the potential to contribute strongly to the fund outcomes. As I mentioned in our previous newsletter, we’ve made the final round ‘invite only’ because we recognise that people and organisations have already spent time receiving feedback and amending proposals. We don’t want to put people through another round of this if they will not secure funding. I should add that we are pleased with how this more iterative, interactive process has worked – particularly as it has helped us lower the barriers that some creatives face when applying for arts funding.

After the final round of the Regeneration Fund, our fabulous team here will reduce in size and focus for the next 12 months on supporting people that have received funding. Our goal is to make sure that we can evidence the incredible collective impact that these initiatives will have, and help people and organisations share their success and learning.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Joe Fowler
Pou Mataaho o Te Aka Tūhono
Deputy Chief Executive, Investment and Outcomes

Third round of Regeneration Fund recipients announced

This week we were thrilled to announce the 42 initiatives that have been approved for up to $11.4 million of funding from the Cultural Sector Regeneration Fund.

The latest round of recipients are a diverse mix of projects that will support career opportunities, build capabilities across the sector and provide more access to arts, culture and heritage for people in Aotearoa New Zealand to enjoy.

Read the announcement and see who’s been funded on our website.

Changes announced to screen sector support

The review of government investment in the screen sector came to a close this week with some key changes announced to the New Zealand Screen Production Grant rebate. Improvements to the rebate will add clarity and certainty to provide the strong foundation needed for a thriving screen sector that delivers strong cultural and economic benefits to Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Ministers for Economic Development and Arts, Culture and Heritage announced the changes on Tuesday which will mean:

5% uplift for international productions is clearer and simpler to navigate
domestic productions can access more funding sources
20% international rebate applies to all confirmed for post-production, digital and visual effects projects
qualifying spend for the post-production, digital and visual effects rebate drops to $250,000
a name change to the ‘New Zealand Screen Production Rebate’

Final details of the changes, including implementation timeframes will be shared by the end of July 2023. For more information, please visit the Manatū Taonga or MBIE websites.

Jamie McPhail (centre) and the Small Hall Sessions crew.

Project Prima Volta performing.

"Best night out in a hall I can remember" said one attendee.

Small Hall Sessions included many first time performers.

Pōrangahau War Memorial Hall was flooded during the Cyclone.

Spotlight: Small Hall Sessions wrap up Hawkes Bay tour

Small Hall Sessions have just wrapped up an extensive tour of town halls across Te Matau-a-Māui. Creator, curator, and roadie for the sessions, Jamie Macphail, says that they were able to end the tour on a sold-out high note.

“We had just over a thousand attendees come along to our 16 performances in 16 halls, from Porongahau in the South to Te Pohue in the North. In the first ever Hawke’s Bay Music Month we shone a light on music that originates in our region and could not have hoped for a better response.”

Jamie says that it was really special to bring communities together after Cyclone Gabrielle. “Our Sold Out shows – one in Twyford and one in Puketapu for the final night – were both in areas amongst the very hardest hit. The Porongahau hall even had a few inches of silt in it not long ago.”

“We had the highest calibre of songwriting and performance. We had 93 individual musicians involved and ranged from a young teenager who had never performed to an audience before to veterans like Dusty Rhodes, who have been entertaining for over three decades,” says Jamie.

Dusty Rhodes was also feeling emotional after the last of three shows “I’m pretty emotional. In all the years I can’t remember three nights of playing where the audience sat silently and listened to every word I had to sing or speak. And MY songs, not covers! When can we do it again?”

Read Bob Harbers' review on Ambient Light of Hawke's Bay Music Month.

Katherine Mansfield’s Europe: Station to Station

Part of Public History Talk — 2023 series
When: 7 June 2023, 12:10pm - 1pm
Where: National Library Auditorium, Wellington or Online via Zoom

To commemorate the centenary of Katherine Mansfield’s death and celebrate her ongoing creative legacy, Cherie Jacobson, Director of Katherine Mansfield House & Garden, will interview Redmer Yska about his new book, 'Katherine Mansfield's Europe: Station to Station'.

Contact us

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

For any other queries, please email us at info@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
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