Wenley says this set an unfortunate record in that it was the fastest time in which all the available slots were taken up, leaving many artists frustrated at the reality that they wouldn’t even have the opportunity to present their ideas.
“It really shows the demand and the number of artists and arts organisations, where money could really make a difference in terms of getting the art out and making it accessible to people,” Wenley says.
“It shows the current funding system is broken. It’s a very difficult state of affairs for people that are applying for money. People put hours, days and sometimes weeks into these applications, and to even have the opportunity to be considered is really tough.”
New Zealand creatives will be particularly disheartened by news that their counterparts in Australia have just been given a huge boost in funding by Anthony Albanese’s government.
“The new Australian government has made arts a centrepiece of their first term in office,” Wenley says.
“After a six-month consultation, they’ve just come out with what they’ve called the Revive National Cultural Policy. It’s almost A$300 million [$322m] and Prime Minister Albanese is talking about putting the arts back to where they’re meant to be: ‘at the heart of our national life’... It really speaks to the idea that Australia values the arts and they see what it does for the economy, culture and social life.”
So why is New Zealand being left behind by Australia in this regard? Has this been a missed opportunity for New Zealand’s Labour Party? Should art be left to fend for itself on the free market? And given the cost-of-living crisis and cyclone damage, has art fallen even further down the priority list?
Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear Dr James Wenley answer these questions and more.
