A former head of Te Waka Toi and Creative New Zealand says the Arts Council needed an overhaul, but it is important to maintain a strong Maori presence.
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage is scrapping separate Maori and Pacific arts boards in favour of a single 13-member board, which would include four members with knowledge of Maori arts.
Cliff Whiting was among a group of Maori artists and writers who lobbied for a separate Maori arts council in the 1970s.
Mr Whiting told Waatea News that Creative New Zealand had become top heavy and bureaucratic and change needed to take place.
