Agenda of Arts, Culture and Events Committee

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Responsibilities and key projects

The Committee is responsible for regional arts, culture and events by:

· Developing (and monitoring) strategy, policy and action plans, including any agreed community consultation, to recommend to the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee, as set out in the Schedule of Key Projects for Reporting Committees, attached to these Terms of Reference *

· Acting as a community interface for consultation on policies and as a forum for raising community concerns, while ensuring community engagement is complementary to that undertaken by local boards

· Making decisions within delegated powers, including:

§ Grants for regional events, arts and cultural organisations or projects

Powers

All powers necessary to perform the Committee’s responsibilities

Except:

(a) powers that the Governing Body cannot delegate or has retained to itself (section 2)

(b) where the Committee’s responsibility is limited to making a recommendation only

(d) the approval of expenditure that is not contained within approved budgets

(e) the approval of expenditure of more than $2 million

(f) the approval of final policy

(g) deciding significant matters for which there is high public interest and which are controversial

(h) the commissioning of reports on new policy where that policy programme of work has not been approved by the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee

(i) the power to establish sub-committees

*Schedule of key projects for the Arts, Culture and Events Committee

Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan

Events programme

Exclusion of the public – who needs to leave the meeting

Members of the public

All members of the public must leave the meeting when the public are excluded unless a resolution is passed permitting a person to remain because their knowledge will assist the meeting.

Those who are not members of the public

General principles

· Access to confidential information is managed on a “need to know” basis where access to the information is required in order for a person to perform their role.

· Those who are not members of the meeting (see list below) must leave unless it is necessary for them to remain and hear the debate in order to perform their role.

· Those who need to be present for one confidential item can remain only for that item and must leave the room for any other confidential items.

· In any case of doubt, the ruling of the chairperson is final.

Members of the meeting

· The members of the meeting remain (all Governing Body members if the meeting is a Governing Body meeting; all members of the committee if the meeting is a committee meeting).

· However, standing orders require that a councillor who has a pecuniary conflict of interest leave the room.

· All councillors have the right to attend any meeting of a committee and councillors who are not members of a committee may remain, subject to any limitations in standing orders.

Independent Māori Statutory Board

· Members of the Independent Māori Statutory Board who are appointed members of the committee remain.

· Independent Māori Statutory Board members and staff remain if this is necessary in order for them to perform their role.

Staff

· All staff supporting the meeting (administrative, senior management) remain.

· Other staff who need to because of their role may remain.

Local Board members

· Local Board members who need to hear the matter being discussed in order to perform their role may remain. This will usually be if the matter affects, or is relevant to, a particular Local Board area.

Council Controlled Organisations

· Representatives of a Council Controlled Organisation can remain only if required to for discussion of a matter relevant to the Council Controlled Organisation.

1 Apologies

Apologies from Mayor LCM Brown, Cr RI Clow, Deputy Mayor PA Hulse and Cr GS Wood have been received.

2 Declaration of Interest

Members are reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from decision making when a conflict arises between their role as a member and any private or other external interest they might have.

3 Confirmation of Minutes

That the Arts, Culture and Events Committee:

a) confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Wednesday, 22 July 2015, as a true and correct record.

4 Petitions

At the close of the agenda no requests to present petitions had been received.

5 Public Input

Standing Order 7.7 provides for Public Input. Applications to speak must be made to the Democracy Advisor, in writing, no later than one (1) clear working day prior to the meeting and must include the subject matter. The meeting Chairperson has the discretion to decline any application that does not meet the requirements of Standing Orders. A maximum of thirty (30) minutes is allocated to the period for public input with five (5) minutes speaking time for each speaker.

5.1 Helen Bartle, CreativeNZ

Purpose

1. To provide an opportunity for Helen Bartle from CreativeNZ to present Auckland results of New Zealanders and the Arts to the Arts, Culture and Events Committee.

Executive Summary

2. Helen Bartle from CreativeNZ will present to the Arts, Culture and Events Committee the Auckland results of New Zealanders and the Arts.

Recommendation/s

That the Arts, Culture and Events Committee:

a) thank Helen Bartle for her presentation to the Arts, Culture and Events Committee on the Auckland results of New Zealanders and the Arts.

6 Local Board Input

Standing Order 6.2 provides for Local Board Input. The Chairperson (or nominee of that Chairperson) is entitled to speak for up to five (5) minutes during this time. The Chairperson of the Local Board (or nominee of that Chairperson) shall wherever practical, give one (1) day’s notice of their wish to speak. The meeting Chairperson has the discretion to decline any application that does not meet the requirements of Standing Orders.

This right is in addition to the right under Standing Order 6.1 to speak to matters on the agenda.

At the close of the agenda no requests for local board input had been received.

7 Extraordinary Business

Section 46A(7) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:

“An item that is not on the agenda for a meeting may be dealt with at that meeting if-

(a) The local authority by resolution so decides; and

(b) The presiding member explains at the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public,-

(i) The reason why the item is not on the agenda; and

(ii) The reason why the discussion of the item cannot be delayed until a subsequent meeting.”

Section 46A(7A) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:

“Where an item is not on the agenda for a meeting,-

(a) That item may be discussed at that meeting if-

(i) That item is a minor matter relating to the general business of the local authority; and

(ii) the presiding member explains at the beginning of the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public, that the item will be discussed at the meeting; but

(b) no resolution, decision or recommendation may be made in respect of that item except to refer that item to a subsequent meeting of the local authority for further discussion.”

8 Notices of Motion

At the close of the agenda no requests for notices of motion had been received.

Arts, Culture and Events Committee

23 September 2015

Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan

File No.: CP2015/15127

Purpose

1. To endorse the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan, and recommend it to the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee for adoption.

Executive Summary

2. Arts and culture play a key role in the cultural, social and economic life of Auckland, making it a more vibrant, inclusive and attractive place to live, work and visit.

3. The Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan (the plan) is a core strategy to deliver on the Auckland Plan strategic direction to integrate arts and culture into our everyday lives.

4. The plan is important to enable council and the arts and culture sector to focus resources where it can make the most collective impact. It will guide investment and provision of arts and culture across the Auckland region for the next 10 years.

5. It has been developed through research, analysis, and extensive engagement with the arts and culture sector, local boards, mana whenua and other stakeholders.

6. The plan has six strategic goals and 15 objectives which focus on:

· increasing participation for all Aucklanders

· valuing and growing investment in arts and culture

· ensuring there is infrastructure to meet Auckland’s growing, diverse needs

· enhancing our place-making through arts and culture

· celebrating Auckland’s unique cultural identity

· building a robust and flourishing creative economy.

7. Staff have worked with arts and culture stakeholders to develop an action plan (including priority actions) that sets out what the council and the sector will do to deliver on the goals and objectives.

8. Local board views have helped shaped the plan and they will play an important role in supporting arts and culture at the local level.

9. Many actions in the plan are already underway. Funding new actions will be through reprioritising existing resources or new investment. In council’s case this will be subject to future annual plan and long-term plan processes.

10. Progress on implementation will be reported annually to the governing body and arts and culture sector.

Recommendation/s

That the Arts, Culture and Events Committee:

a) endorse the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan (Attachment A).

b) recommend that the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee adopt the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan.

Comments

Background

11. The Auckland Plan recognises that arts and culture are critical to achieving the vision of the world’s most liveable city. It dedicates Chapter 3 specifically to this, stating that:

Auckland expects that our arts and culture will thrive, unite, delight, challenge and entertain and also drive wealth and prosperity for individuals and for Auckland.

12. The Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan is a core strategy to give effect to this. While it will deliver on multiple outcomes and strategic directives in the Auckland Plan, the primary strategic intent is to integrate arts and culture into our everyday lives.

13. Council has led the development of the plan working closely with the arts and culture sector, including a multi-agency project team and steering group.

14. The process has included research and extensive engagement with the sector, other stakeholders and public consultation.

15. Key milestones are summarised below:

September-December 2013	· Current state review and research completed · Key stakeholder engagement including creative sector, tertiary, health, mana whenua, local boards · December 2013: Report to Arts and Events Committee (ACE) on current state and engagement findings (CP2013/27583)
February -March 2014	· Engagement with local boards on an early draft plan.
April 2014	· Report to ACE Committee for endorsement of draft plan for stakeholder and public consultation (ACE/2014/05043)
June-July 2014	· Public consultation on draft plan · 440 submissions were received indicating strong endorsement of the six goals and 15 objectives · Strong feedback to work with sector stakeholders on development of the action plan to support goals
September- October 2014	· Reports to local boards providing a summary of consultation feedback and seeking formal endorsement of the revised draft plan. · October 2014: ACE Committee adopted the plan’s goals and objectives. Resolved that staff work with the sector on the development of the action plan (CP2014/21697)
February-April 2015	· Engagement with art and culture stakeholders to identify and prioritise actions. This included hui with mana whenua, wānanga with mataawaka, and a Creative Sector Forum in March
May – July 2015	· Revised action plan developed. · Feedback loop to over 800 sector contributors for information and comment. · Presentation of draft action plan to local board chairs and portfolio holders
August -September	· Workshop with governing body on draft plan · Final revised plan developed · Development of implementation framework underway

16. Arts and culture play a key role in the cultural, social and economic life of Auckland. The benefits and impacts include:

· connecting and strengthening communities

· building a sense of identity, belonging and pride

· enhancing our sense of place and place-making

· improving individual and community wellbeing

· generating employment and wealth which contribute to a strong economy.

17. Having a strategic plan for arts and culture is important to enable council and the sector to strategically focus their efforts and investment where it can make the most collective impact.

18. It is a ten-year plan that will assist decision-making, encourage collaboration to achieve the shared goals; and help address the key challenges and opportunities of a growing and increasingly diverse city.

The plan has six strategic goals and 15 objectives which are outlined in the following table:

Goal 1: All Aucklanders can access and participate in arts and culture

· Increase opportunities for Aucklanders to experience and participate in arts and culture

· Better communicate what’s on offer

· Remove barriers to access and participation.

Goal 2: Auckland values and invests in arts and culture

· Grow and deliver strategic investment in arts and culture to enable a thriving and resilient sector

· Evaluate and promote the economic, social, cultural and environmental value of investment in Auckland’s art and culture.

Goal 3: A network of vibrant arts and culture organisations and facilities

· Support a network of complementary arts and cultural institutions and facilities

· Promote the city centre as Auckland’s major cultural destination

· Provide a regional spread of vibrant diverse and affordable creative spaces.

Goal 4: Arts and culture is intrinsic to Auckland’s placemaking

· Tell our stories by encouraging unique and distinctive public art that reflects and responds to our place

· Make it easier to plan, create and deliver innovative art and design in public places.

Goal 5: Auckland celebrates a unique cultural identity

· Celebrate Māori and their culture as a point of difference

· Support and celebrate creative excellence

· Promote Auckland as a creative city with a unique cultural identity.

Goal 6: Auckland has a robust and flourishing creative economy

· Champion the creative sector to grow Auckland’s economy

· Foster education, collaboration and professional development for the creative sector.

19. An action plan with 62 actions to deliver on the goals and objectives has been developed in conjunction with stakeholders. Of these, 27 have been identified by the sector as priorities and will be the focus in the first three years (priority actions are shaded in the tables on pages 20-39 in the attached plan).

20. The action plan identifies the key agencies and contributors that will deliver the actions.

Consideration

Local Board views and implications

21. Local boards have been engaged in the development of the plan at various stages and their views have helped shape the plan.

22. In September 2014 local boards responded positively to the draft plan with 18 of the 21 boards endorsing the strategic goals and objectives.

23. Three boards did not specifically endorse it mainly due to concern at that time that the actions to implement the plan and the roles of each agency needed to be clearly articulated. These issues have now been addressed through the development of the action plan.

24. Continued engagement with local boards on the action plan has been through briefings and workshops with local board members and portfolio holders.

25. Local boards play a key role in supporting arts and culture in their communities. To increase awareness of this, boards have requested their arts and culture projects be captured in a separate schedule to the plan. This is currently being complied and will be available online and include successful case studies. See examples in Attachment B.

Māori impact statement

26. The strategic direction of the plan to integrate arts and culture into everyday life aligns well to a Māori world view where there is no delineation between art, culture and life.

27. The Auckland Plan outcome that a Māori identity that is Auckland’s point of difference in the world is a key focus in Goal 5. There are a range of supporting actions that seek to give effect to this aspiration.

28. It is expected that the plan will provide positive impacts for Māori through actions that include:

· growing Māori participation by promoting Māori art and culture in all forms including Māori events

· establishing networks for Māori creative practitioners and supporting entrepreneurship and indigenous business development

· promoting the visual and spoken use of Te Reo Māori and growing marae as regional cultural hubs

29. There is also a strong emphasis in the plan on increasing the visibility of Auckland’s unique Māori identity in the public realm through place-making projects and public art that reflect Māori stories, sites of significance and embrace Māori design principles.

30. Engagement with Māori has occurred throughout the process. This included a number of hui with mana whenua and engagement with mataawaka through wānanga facilitated by Ngā Aho, a national network of Māori design professionals.

31. The Independent Māori Statutory Board’s (IMSB) Māori Plan for Tāmaki Makaurau has been a guiding document underpinning the plan. The IMSB was represented on the project steering group and has provided guidance on both process and content. Māori art expertise was also represented.

32. Mana whenua have indicated a desire to remain closely involved in ongoing implementation including having representation on the implementation oversight group.

Implementation

33. The Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan is an aspirational plan that will guide investment and provision of arts and culture over the next 10 years.

34. It is a whole of sector plan which means that many different arts and culture stakeholders have a role in implementing actions, not just council.

35. Many of the actions are already funded and underway. Funding new actions will be through reprioritising existing resources or new investment. In council’s case funding decisions will be subject to future annual plan and long-term plan processes.

36. An implementation framework is currently being developed which will provide more detail on who is involved in the delivery of actions, timeframes and high level measures.

37. An implementation leadership group will be established with representatives from the sector, iwi and council to provide oversight on implementation. Progress will be reported annually to the governing body and arts and culture sector.

38. The implementation framework and annual reports will be available online to enable key stakeholders, lead agencies and contributors to engage with the plan on an ongoing basis.

39. The draft document attached to this report will be designed for publishing. It will include a range of images to reflect the diversity of art and culture covered by the plan. It will also feature case studies that showcase each goal area.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan	17
b View	Example of local board arts and culture actions and case studies	79

Signatories

Author

Maree Mills, Principal Policy Analyst

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - Manager - Community Development, Arts and Culture

Kataraina Maki - GM - Community & Social Policy

Arts, Culture and Events Committee

23 September 2015

Regional Event Fund Allocations 2015/2016

File No.: CP2015/18586

Purpose

1. This report presents a summary of the 2015/2016 Regional Event Fund applications and recommended funding allocations for consideration by the Arts, Culture and Events Committee.

Executive Summary

2. The Regional Event Fund has a budget of $600,000 for the 2015/2016 year of which $391,500 is recommended for allocation.

3. Forty-five applications were received for 2015/2016, totalling $1,317,149. Of these, 32 are recommended for funding from the Regional Events Fund.

4. A panel of three staff from the events team assessed each application against the regional event funding prioritisation criteria, as outlined in the Events Policy (Attachment B). A schedule of the applications including the aggregate scores from the assessors based on weighted criteria scores in seven areas is included in Attachment A. Summary information from the applications is contained in Attachment C.

5. A review panel of events team staff considered the aggregated assessment scores for each event and also a number of additional factors. These included:

· whether the applicant had received significant other funding from council for the same event

· event budgets

· plans

· previous event outcomes

· organiser experience

· accessibility

· whether the event connected with key Auckland occasions e.g. Auckland Anniversary Weekend

· regional balance of events

· a balanced representation of sporting, arts and cultural themes.

6. The recommended funding allocations are based on the scores from assessment against the Events Policy criteria, consideration of the additional factors and comments from the review panel.

7. Multi-year funding for events has been considered and it is recommended that this be implemented on a staged basis over a three year cycle to give greater flexibility to annual funding decisions.

8. Funding to ASB Polyfest of $50,000 per annum over three years is proposed as the initial multi-year allocation. This event is well established and scores highest in terms of alignment with funding priorities.

9. A second funding round to distribute the remaining balance of regional event funding is proposed with applications accepted and closing during November 2015 and allocations approved in February 2016. This round will focus on Events Policy priority areas of Māori, youth, and winter events, and other gaps in the events calendar.

10. Organisers of Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga 2015, the annual Auckland Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival, have made a funding request for the event which occurs in October 2015. Due to timing the request will not be able to be considered within a contestable funding round. The event has close alignment with Events Policy priorities and it is recommended that it be considered for discretionary funding.

Recommendation/s

That the Arts, Culture and Events Committee:

a) approve the following funding allocations from the 2015/2016 Regional Event Fund:

Event	Funding Allocation
ASB Polyfest	50,000
Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park	40,000
Bike The Bridge	20,000
Show Jumping Waitematā World Cup Final	7,500
Puhinui International Horse Trials	12,500
SKYCITY Mystics home games	10,000
The DUAL Motutapu-Rangitoto Traverse	20,000
Harbour Crossing 2015	8,000
King of the Bays 2016	8,000
Auckland International Buskers Festival	30,000
LYC Big Gay Out	15,000
Mahurangi Regatta	4,000
Clevedon Jazz Wine & Food Festival	10,000
Toddler Day Out & Great Parenting Fair 2016	10,000
Photographer of the Year Exhibition	7,500
Elvis in the Gardens	12,000
NZ National Stand Up Paddling Championships and Festival	5,000
Auckland Highland Games & Gathering	15,000
M2M (Marae to Marae)	6,000
Matakana Food and Wine Festival	10,000
Waiheke International Jazz Festival 2016	5,000
The New Zealand Ukulele Festival	6,000
Indigenous Ink Festival	10,000
The Trusts New Zealand Bowls Open	10,000
Auckland Choral presents Carmina Burana	4,000
Sovereign Tri Series - Takapuna	15,000
NZ Rugby League 2016 National Secondary Schools Tournament	10,000
Iwi of Origin	2,000
2016 Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards	8,000
2016 Pacific Music Awards	12,000
Walk the Line 2016	4,000
8th National Orchid Expo of New Zealand Orchid + Flower Show	5,000
Total	$391,500

b) approves a multi-year funding agreement for ASB Polyfest allocating $50,000 for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 years in addition to the $50,000 allocated for 2015/2016.

c) approves the allocation of remaining regional event funding for 2015/2016 through a second funding round in November 2015 targeted at Māori, youth and winter events and other gaps in the events calendar, with decisions made by the Arts, Culture and Events Committee in February 2016.

Comments

Round One Applications and Funding Recommendations

11. A Regional Event Fund budget of $600,000 was established in the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan for 2015/2016, to fund externally organised regional events through a contestable grants scheme. This amount is an increase of $200,000 over the 2014/2015 budget.

12. The Arts Culture and Events Committee at a workshop held on 3 June 2015 indicated support to initially allocate $400,000 of the budget in a general funding round open to all regional event applicants and follow this with a second round in early 2016 focussed on events priority areas of Māori, youth, and winter events. This follows the approach adopted successfully in the 2013/2014 year where additional event funding was allocated in the budget.

13. The 2015/2016 Regional Event Fund opened for applications on 1 July and closed on 31 July 2015. Forty-five applications were received totalling $1,317,149. This compares with 45 applications in the 2014/2015 financial year totalling $1,640,431. Summaries of key information from each application for 2015/2016, drawn directly from information provided by applicants, are included in Attachment C.

14. A panel of three staff from the events team assessed each application against regional event funding prioritisation criteria outlined in the Events Policy. Scores were given to reflect the degree of alignment of the event with each of the criteria areas. The areas and weightings applied to give a composite score are:

· supports key priorities (17%)

· delivers desired impacts (17%)

· expands the variety or range of events on offer (17%)

· level of positive community benefits generated (17%)

· amount of community support, involvement, and/or active partnerships (17%)

· how effectively run in the past or how well planned (8%)

· other considerations (8%) (as outlined in the Events Policy).

15. An extract from the policy outlining further detail on the criteria is provided in Attachment B. The assessments of all panel members in these areas were aggregated to give an overall score. This is shown in Attachment A where the applicants are sorted from high to low in terms of score. This was used as an initial guide to establish where funding might be prioritised.

16. A review panel of events team staff considered the aggregated assessment scores for each event and also a number of additional factors to provide funding recommendations. These included:

· whether the applicant had received significant other funding from council for the same event

· event budgets

· plans

· previous event outcomes

· organiser experience

· accessibility

· whether the event connected with key Auckland occasions such as anniversary weekend celebrations

· regional balance of events

· a balanced representation of sporting, arts and cultural themes.

17. The recommended funding allocations are based on the scores from assessment against the Events Policy criteria, consideration of the additional factors and comments from the review panel.

18. Of the applications received, 32 are recommended for an allocation from the Regional Events Fund. The reasons for not recommending funding were varied but can be grouped into the following broad areas:

i. events that had high potential but were not ready for delivery in 2015/2016. These were either new events, or ones that needed a longer transition time, or had tight deadlines to complete all of the necessary arrangements in time for the proposed event date. well-established events that already had significant existing funding.

ii. events that already had significant council funding (from other departments) in the 2015/2016 year.

iii. events that were not specific to the region or were a one-off national events to be held in Auckland, but were less likely to attract large numbers of Aucklanders into the audience. This is due to factors such as specialist subject matter, venue restrictions or the cost to attend.

iv. events that did not reflect a good balance between the number of active participants and/or audience numbers, and the total amount of council funding requested.

v. events that did not align sufficiently with the definition or desired outcomes for regional events.

19. A particular area that was considered during the preparation of funding recommendations was the applications from three sculpture events. These events align with various Events Policy criteria and have prioritisation scores this year ranging between 55 and 68, a level at which other events are funded. A review of the budgets for each of these events suggests that they are sustainable without council grants and no basis was identified for funding one event in particular or alternatively providing meaningful funding to all three. For this reason no allocation has been recommended for these events.

20. The review of the sculpture events has indicated limitations to the existing methodology of assessing each event against the full range of policy criteria. Where an event is well established and is largely financially sustainable through other funding sources provision of council funding could be focussed directly on further development of the event in ways that support council’s priorities. This would help ensure that council assistance is focussed in areas that maximise additional value to the community from the funding support provided. An approach to implementing this will be considered for future funding rounds.

21. The review panel have proposed the following funding allocations for the 2014-2015 Regional Event Fund as a balanced response to events policy priorities as outlined in the fund criteria:

Event	Funding Allocation
ASB Polyfest	$50,000
Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park	$40,000
Bike The Bridge	$20,000
Show Jumping Waitematā World Cup Final	$7,500
Puhinui International Horse Trials	$12,500
SKYCITY Mystics home games	$10,000
The DUAL Motutapu-Rangitoto Traverse	$20,000
Harbour Crossing 2015	$8,000
King of the Bays 2016	$8,000
Auckland International Buskers Festival	$30,000
LYC Big Gay Out	$15,000
Mahurangi Regatta	$4,000
Clevedon Jazz Wine & Food Festival	$10,000
Toddler Day Out & Great Parenting Fair 2016	$10,000
Photographer of the Year Exhibition	$7,500
Elvis in the Gardens	$12,000
NZ National Stand Up Paddling Championships and Festival	$5,000
Auckland Highland Games & Gathering	$15,000
M2M (Marae to Marae)	$6,000
Matakana Food and Wine Festival	$10,000
Waiheke International Jazz Festival 2016	$5,000
The New Zealand Ukulele Festival	$6,000
Indigenous Ink Festival	$10,000
The Trusts New Zealand Bowls Open	$10,000
Auckland Choral presents Carmina Burana	$4,000
Sovereign Tri Series - Takapuna	$15,000
NZ Rugby League 2016 National Secondary Schools Tournament	$10,000
Iwi of Origin	$2,000
2016 Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards	$8,000
2016 Pacific Music Awards	$12,000
Walk the Line 2016	$4,000
8th National Orchid Expo of New Zealand Orchid + Flower Show	$5,000
Total	$391,500

22. The 32 events listed above are categorised as follows:

· 15 are sports related and 17 are connected with arts and/or culture.

· The geographical spread is:

o one city-wide event

o two that are in both the north and central areas

o 12 in the central area, (including one on Waiheke and one on Motutapu Island)

o five in the north

o eight in the south

o four in the west

Round Two Funding Process

23. If the proposed funding allocations for round one are approved, a balance of $208,500 is available for distribution in a second funding round targeting events priority areas of Māori, youth, and winter events, and other gaps in the event calendar.

24. The scope has been extended from that previously used to include ‘other gaps’ which is also noted as a priority in the Events Policy. This allows consideration to be given to a wider range of events in areas not catered for well, for example events reflecting the increasing cultural diversity of Auckland communities.

25. A suggested timetable for the second round is:

· October 2015 – communication of funding availability

· 1-30 November 2015 – online applications open

· December 2015 –assessment of applications

· January 2016 – funding recommendations and report completed

· 24 February 2016 – Arts, Culture and Events Committee approval.

26. The timing of the second round would support funding of groups interested in participating in the Matariki Festival planned for 18 June 18 to 9 July 2016. Promotion of this funding would be co-ordinated with the Arts and Culture Unit.

27. Events unit staff are currently engaged in supporting the planning for a Māori delivered event in the first half of 2016. The event is a potential candidate for funding from the second round in addition to in-kind assistance provided by council. This approach to supporting community led events builds on that provided to Waitangi@Waititi and the Portage Crossing/Mangere Bridge Music Festival.

Multi-Year Funding

28. The Arts, Culture and Events Committee indicated at the workshop held on 3 June 2015 a desire to consider multi-year funding for key events.

29. It is suggested that multi-year allocations be made for a period of up to three years. To ensure flexibility in annual funding decisions it is recommended that the initial decisions be staggered over a three year period. For example if $150,000 (one quarter of the overall budget) was allocated on a multi-year basis over three years, only $100,000 would be pre-committed prior to each annual funding round (assuming the total amount is spread equally over the three year period).

30. Multi-year funding would be reserved for significant higher priority events with a proven track record.

31. Under this approach, for the 2015/2016 year, ASB Polyfest would be the recommended candidate. This event has received council support for a number of years and receives the highest score in terms of alignment with Events Policy priorities. The event has received $50,000 in funding for the last two years and is recommended for the same amount in the current year.

32. If the committee approves the multi-year grant to ASB Polyfest a funding agreement would be prepared for a multi-year term. This would include key provisions establishing agreed objectives, submission of annual event plans, budgets and post event reports. The agreement would be subject to termination in the event of significant changes to the nature of the event or failure to meet event objectives. The event organiser may also request early termination. At termination of the agreement, either at term or early, the event may be submitted for the next available contestable funding round.

Discretionary Funding

33. Following completion of the assessments for round one funding a letter was received from Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae requesting support for Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga 2015. This event is the annual Auckland Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival in which 17 groups will perform with 13 of these competing for two places representing Tāmaki Makaurau at the national competition in 2017. The festival is to be held at the school in Mangere on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October 2015.

34. The festival is a significant regional event and aligns highly with two key Events Policy priority areas being an event for Māori and for youth. It is also occurring very early in the events season and therefore fits well with the priority for events outside the peak annual period.

35. Based on the high level of alignment with priorities, but subject to assessment against other criteria, there is a high likelihood that the festival would be recommended for support within a contestable funding round.

36. Normally funding requests outside the grant funding round process would be considered within the next funding round. The Community Grants Policy does however make specific provision for discretionary funding to be provided outside the contestable grants process.

37. The policy states that the requesting organisation would need to make a compelling case for an urgent decision. Additional information is required to assess whether the festival funding request meets the provisions for discretionary funding outlined in the Community Grants Policy.

38. Given the significance of the event it is recommended that the Arts Culture and Events committee review the matter further when considering this report and additional information will be provided to support a decision on provision of funding.

Consideration

Local Board views and implications

39. Local Boards were consulted on, and contributed to, the development of the Events Policy. The administrative process associated with the assessment and allocation of the regional event fund applies principles and criteria outlined within the policy.

40. Regional event funding occurs in parallel with, and is complementary to, local event funding rounds operated by local boards.

Māori impact statement

41. The regional events element of the policy recognises a responsibility to engage and build relationships with Māori stakeholders in designing, planning and delivering regional events of mutual interest. Through the operation of the Regional Events Fund there is the opportunity to advance this objective through provision of grant funds. The events action plan also places a particular focus on support for Māori events in the context of a diverse, balanced region-wide programme. This priority is indicated in fund information and guides to encourage applications for Māori events.

Implementation

42. Following funding approval, staff will initiate the development of funding agreements for recipients and the distribution of funding will commence once agreements have been signed by the applicants.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Regional Event Fund Summary Schedule	105
b View	Event Policy – Regional Event Fund Prioritisation Criteria	107
c View	Regional Event Fund Application Summaries	111

Signatories

Author	David McIntosh - Senior Business Advisor
Authoriser	Graham Bodman - Manager - Community Development, Arts and Culture

Arts, Culture and Events Committee

23 September 2015

Regional Arts and Culture Grant Allocation: Round One 2015

File No.: CP2015/19623

Purpose

1. To seek approval of grants to regional arts organisations through the allocation of the 2015/16 Round One Regional Arts and Culture Grants Scheme.

Executive Summary

2. The Regional Arts and Culture Grants Scheme has been developed in accordance with Auckland Council’s Community Grants Policy. The Community Grants Policy was adopted at the 4 December 2014 meeting of Regional Strategy and Policy Committee (REG/2014/134).

3. The confirmed regional sector investment budget for arts and culture for 2015/2016 is $1.76m. The investment programme for arts and culture comprises the contestable Community Grants Scheme, which includes project grants and strategic relationship grants and asset-based term grants with regional organisations Q Theatre and Te Tuhi.

4. The regional grants programme is designed to enable organisations, communities and artists to deliver arts and culture projects and activities across the Auckland region. The grants delivered through this programme will support the implementation of the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan.

5. The 2015/16 Arts and Culture work programme allocates $407,000 to strategic relationship grants and $400,000 to project grants to be granted via two contestable rounds each year. Round one closed in August 2015 and round two closes in March 2016. This report presents the proposed allocations for round one with rankings and recommendations.

6. A total of 65 applications were received in round one requesting funding of $1,345,266. Thirty-five applications were for audience development project grants, nine were for business and capacity development project grants and 21 were for strategic relationship grants. Of the total received, eight applications did not meet the funding criteria.

Recommendation/s

That the Arts, Culture and Events Committee:

a) approve the following allocation of funding to arts organisations for the amounts and terms outlined:

Organisation	Funding Allocation ($)	Term
Audience development and programming project grants:
Mika Haka Foundation	12,000	Project
Stark Theatre	9,000	Project
Ruia Taitea Creative	20,000	Project
Pacific Islands Dance Fono	5,000	Project
Waitakere Arts and Culture Development Trust	5,000	Project
Fine Fatale	2,450	Project
NZ Contemporary Art Trust	10,000	Project
The Operating Theatre Trust, t/a Tim Bray Productions	16,300	Project
Artspace (Aotearoa) Trust t/a ARTSPACE NZ	20,000	Project
The New Zealand Ukulele Trust	15,000	Project
Michael King Writers' Studio Trust	10,000	Project
New Zealand Comedy Trust	8,000	Project
Kathrin Simon - photographer, lead artist of collaboration	9,000	Project
PIFT (Pacific Islanders in Film and Television) - financials through Tikilounge Productions	2,500	Project
NZTrio Foundation	5,000	Project
Winning Productions, t/a Under Lilli's Balcony Theatre Company Ltd	7,500	Project
Manukau Orchestral Society Incorporated	15,000	Project
Chamber Music New Zealand	11,500	Project
NZ Barok	5,000	Project
Audio Foundation	7,500	Project
Total	195,750
Business and capacity development project grants:
Documentary New Zealand Trust	15,000	Project
The Pantograph Punch Trust Board	13,491	Project
Script to Screen – Te Tari Tuhi Kupu a Whakaahua	5,960	Project
Theatre Stampede Charitable Trust	12,500	Project
Total	46,951
Strategic relationship grants:
Massive Theatre Company Trust	20,000	1 Year
Basement Theatre Trust	25,000	1 Year
NZ Dance Advancement Trust	25,000	1 Year
The Big Idea Te Aria Nui Charitable Trust	25,000	1 Year
Objectspace	10,000	1 Year
Documentary Festival Trust	25,000	1 Year
Silo Theatre Trust	50,000	1 Year
Manukau Orchestral Society Inc.	50,000	1 Year
Total	230,000

Comments

7. The regional arts and culture work programme includes a regional sector investment budget for 2015/2016 of $1.76m. This includes asset-based term grants as well as contestable project and contestable strategic relationship grants.

8. Asset-based term grants: The asset-based term grants budgets are allocated to the regional organisations Q Theatre ($413,292) and Te Tuhi ($547,611); these grants are currently being executed as funding agreements with the organisations. This was approved on July 22 by the Arts Culture and Events Committee and is not part of this funding round (ART/2015/37).

9. Audience development and programming project grants: These grants are to support the delivery of a wide range of arts and cultural experiences that would not otherwise be economically viable. These projects should be capable of attracting audiences from across the Auckland region.

10. Business and capacity development project grants: These grants are intended to increase the professionalism and build the sustainability of regional arts and culture organisations through the development of strategic, business and marketing plans; feasibility studies; organisational development and digital / web development activities.

11. Strategic relationship grants: These grants are single or multi-year funding relationships with a small number of organisations operating at the regional level. These organisations are are capable of strategically partnering with Auckland Council to deliver arts and culture outcomes for Auckland.

12. The work programme allocates $407,000 to strategic relationship grants and $400,000 to project grants to be granted via two contestable rounds each year; round one closing in August 2015 and round two in March 2016.

13. A total of 65 applications were received in Round One requesting funding of $1,345,266. Table one describes the funding requests for each type of grant application.

Table One: Demand on Grant Types

Grant Type	Number of Applications	Amount requested -Round One	Funding Available -Round One
Audience development and programming project grants	35	$556,605	$150,000
Business and capacity development project grants	9	$126,161	$50,000
Strategic relationship grants	21	$662,500	$207,000
Total	65	$1,345,266	$407,000

14. Of the total applications received, eight applications did not meet the funding criteria. These applicants were not able to prove regional status or applied for activities outside the definition of Arts and Culture.

15. Staff support has been available for applicants and a number of potential applicants have had in person or phone consultations to guide their application process. Each application has been assessed by a minimum of three assessors. The assessors were a mixture of staff and sector professionals. Following initial assessments against the assessment criteria (attachment B) a moderation meeting with all eight assessors ranked the applications.

16. The rankings and recommendations for funding presented in this report are the outcome of the assessment process. Details of the applications and their rankings are provided in Attachment A: Arts and Culture Regional Grants Summary Round One 2015/2016.The demands on each of the funding schemes will be monitored and reviewed annually. Any recommendations to change and the amounts allocated to each of the grant types will be reported to the Arts Culture and Events Committee as part of the development of future Arts and Culture Work Programmes.

Consideration

Local Board views and implications

17. Local boards have expressed the view that there are organisations that do not qualify for local board funding who are in need of a regional funding option. Local boards have also expressed the view that there are exceptional circumstances at a local level that should be able to apply to a regional fund. Where the activity or project is so specialised or unique to the region it may be considered to be regional and be eligible for the Regional Arts and Culture Grants programme.

Māori impact statement

18. Chapter three of the Auckland Plan notes that Māori culture is core to what distinguishes Auckland from other cities in the world. The Māori Plan includes a recommendation that Auckland Council develop a strategy and schedule of Māori-focused events, and support wānanga for Māori Arts and Culture. While this funding is not specifically targeted at iwi/Maori it will provide assistance to organisations that help deliver arts and culture outcomes for Maori. All applications were assessed for delivery of Māori outcomes.

Implementation

19. Once funding allocation decisions have been confirmed, funding agreements will be prepared in line with current Auckland Council standard practice.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Attachment A Arts and Culture Regional Grants Summary Round One 2015	215
b View	Attachment B Arts and Culture Regional Grants Assessment Criteria	217

Signatories

Author	Richard McWha - Manager Sector Engagement and Production
Authoriser	Graham Bodman - Manager - Community Development, Arts and Culture

Chairperson	Cr Alf Filipaina
Deputy Chairperson	Cr John Watson
Members	Cr Dr Cathy Casey
	Member Precious Clark
	Cr Ross Clow
	Cr Linda Cooper, JP
	Cr Hon Christine Fletcher, QSO
	Cr Wayne Walker
	Member Karen Wilson
	Cr George Wood, CNZM
Ex-officio	Mayor Len Brown, JP
	Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse
Ex-officio (without voting rights)	All other councillors