5 Feb 2014

Te Waka Toi joins unified Arts Council

8:17 pm on 5 February 2014

Te Waka Toi - the Maori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand has now become part of a new unified Arts Council.

Arts Council chairman Dick Grant has welcomed the passing of a new Act to unify and streamline Creative New Zealand's governance structure.

A new 13-member Arts Council will be responsible for setting the national arts development agency's strategy, allocating budgets and making significant investment decisions.

It will replace the existing 28-member governance and funding structure of an Arts Council, Arts Board, Te Waka Toi and the Pacific Arts Committee.

Under the new Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act, artists will continue to have their proposals assessed by Maori, Pacific and other external artform peers.

Funding will also continue to be allocated specifically to support both Maori and Pacific arts.