Manatū Taonga COVID-19 Delta Relief Funding Announced

Following the industry-wide call for immediate assistance earlier this month, we are pleased to see the Government has responded by bringing forward and adapting the Arts and Culture Recovery Fund.

The Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme announced in late May 2020 includes more than 25 initiatives designed to deliver short-term relief as well as longer-term support for the sector. Today, it was announced that $37.5m funding will be brought forward to support the arts sector through the COVID-19 Delta response.

What does this mean for the music industry?

NZ Music Commission has been allocated $3m to provide short-term and medium-term relief for venues, performing artists, and others throughout the music community. Their plan includes:

• Opening a second round of the NZ Music Venue Infrastructure Fund focused on venues who have had NZ artist performances of original music cancelled or postponed since 17 August. More details will be provided on 1 October when applications open at nzmusic.org.nz
• Working alongside MusicHelps to ensure artists and workers affected by level changes are financially supported if suffering hardship.
• Extending the capacity of the Aotearoa Touring Programme to support recipients who have had shows cancelled or postponed since August 17

NZ Music Commission’s full statement can be found on their website with more details about the support that will be provided.

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Creative New Zealand has been allocated $5m to support at-risk organisations, including festivals and community arts organisations, and to provide employment and continuity of practice for creative practitioners. This will be achieved via their Arts Grants Programmes, Creative Communities Scheme and other programmes. Read more information about what these budgets will include and when to apply on their website.

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The Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund will also provide cross-sector support directly through Manatū Taonga.

This in acknowledgment of the fact there are parts of the sector that are not eligible for support from agencies and there are some business costs that entity emergency funding will not be able to be used for, for example the payment of utilities or rent, which may be key to enabling viable operation.

The Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund, of up to $5million, will be administered by Manatū Taonga. It will open on Friday 1 October at midday.

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Other organisations distributing funds as part of the package announced today are Te Papa and the NZ Film Commission. Full details about the Government’s package to support the arts and culture sector can be found on Manatū Taonga’s website.