Agenda of Extraordinary Meeting of the Community Committee

Community Committee

24 September 2024

Regional Event Grants Programme - allocations financial year 2024/2025 round one

File No.: CP2024/09598

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve grant allocations for the 2024/2025 financial year’s Regional Event Grants Programme round one.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The 2024/2025 financial year Regional Event Grants Programme has a budget allocation of $600,000. These grants are distributed across two funding rounds.

3. Applications were sought for the first funding round between 1 May 2024 and 30 June 2024.

4. Forty-four applications, totalling $1,981,531, were received. These were assessed using the criteria in the Events Policy 2013.

5. In round one, staff recommend allocating grants to 21 applicants totalling $460,500.

6. A second grant funding round will be scheduled to distribute the remaining unallocated budget of $139,500. The decision for the round two allocations is anticipated in March 2025.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Community Committee:

a) whakaae / approve the following funding allocations for the 2024/2025 financial year’s Regional Event Grants Programme round one:

Applicant	Event	Recommended funding allocation
Aotearoa Latin American Community Incorporated (ALAC Inc.)	Family Day	$12,500
Auckland Pride Incorporated	Auckland Pride March	$27,000
Crackerjack Events	Auckland International Buskers Festival	$40,000
Auckland Children's Christmas Parade Trust	Farmers Santa Parade	$17,000
Takapuna Beach Business Association	Takapuna Winter Lights	$44,000
Alan Smythe Special Events (2020) Limited	Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park	$45,000
Eventing Auckland Incorporated	Puhinui International Horse Trials	$15,000
Show Jumping Waitemata	Show Jumping Waitemata World Cup Festival	$11,000
Auckland Anniversary Regatta Incorporated	Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta	$17,000
Aktive	Iwi of Origin	$20,000
Mahurangi Action Incorporated	Mahurangi Regatta	$6,000
Ngā Kaihoe O Aotearoa (Waka Ama New Zealand) Incorporated	2025 Takapuna Beach Cup	$9,000
Interacting	InterACT 2025!	$16,000
Athletics New Zealand (Incorporated)	2025 Sir Graeme Douglas International	$6,000
The Polyfest Trust	ASB Polyfest	$75,000
Environment Hubs Aotearoa	EcoFest 2025	$25,000
Waiheke International Jazz Festival Limited	Waiheke Jazz Festival 2025	$8,000
Interesting Things	Future Future	$11,000
New Zealand Eid Day Trust	New Zealand Eid Day, Eid al Fitr 2025	$12,000
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa	Big Gay Out 2025	$17,000
Westlake Boys High School	Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga 2024	$27,000
Total		$460,500

b) tui ā-taipiopito / note that a second funding round will be scheduled to consider distribution of the remaining unallocated budget balance of $139,500, with decisions in March 2025.

Horopaki

Context

7. The 2024/2025 financial year budget includes an allocation of $600,000 for the contestable Regional Event Grants Programme.

8. Applications for the first funding round opened on 1 May 2024 and closed on 30 June 2024.

9. Staff received 44 applications, totalling $1,981,531, for this round, as detailed in Attachment A. This compares with 38 applications to the value of $1,357,552 in round one of the 2023/2024 financial year.

10. The events funded through the grants programme deliver on a range of outcomes. The events benefit communities through building and maintaining a sense of place and connection.

11. In 2022/2023, the Regional Event grants programme allocated $501,500 to 28 applications. This saw events delivered to audiences of 491,243 with 67,531 participants.

12. Impact reporting on the 2023/2024 programme will be provided in March 2025.

13. The role of the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee, in relation to regional grants programmes, is described in the council’s Community Grants Policy (paragraph 17). The policy states that the purpose of the fund is to “award grants to regionally significant organisations, services, events and activities that benefit residents across Auckland”.

14. The policy (paragraph 145) also highlights the role of the committee in shaping the grants programme, in terms of:

· drawing on the relevant regional strategic documents to set funding priorities

· considering staff assessments of grant applications and recommendations for which applications to fund

· awarding grants

· receiving reports to understand how grants have benefited Auckland and Aucklanders.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

15. Staff assessed each application against the regional event funding criteria outlined in the Events Policy 2013 (Attachment B).

16. Each application has been assigned an overall score using the criteria to inform recommendations (Attachment C).

17. The scores are based on the criteria in Table 1, which are weighted according to the percentages indicated for each area of consideration.

Table 1: Grant assessment criteria

Criteria	Weighting (%)
Supports key priorities	12
Delivers desired impacts	12
Expands the variety or range of events on offer	12
Level of positive community benefits generated	12
Amount of community support, involvement and/or active partnerships	12
How effectively the event was run in the past or how well planned	12
Other considerations as outlined in the policy	4
Alignment with Māori priority	12
Alignment with youth priority	12
TOTAL	100%

18. Staff also considered additional factors to determine the amount of funding recommended, such as:

· the event budget

· event plans

· organiser experience

· accessibility

· previous event outcomes

· alignment with key Auckland dates, such as Matariki, or Auckland Anniversary weekend.

19. Whether the applicant had received significant funding from other areas of council for the same event was also factored into the assessment process.

20. The events recommended for funding:

· include many that are free/low cost to attend, to support improved equity of access

· deliver to a range of Auckland’s diverse communities

· are distributed across the region

· support a range of sporting, arts and cultural themes.

21. Of the 21 events recommended for funding, 7 are sports related, and 14 relate to arts and culture.

22. Chart 1 shows the geographic spread of applications recommended for funding.

Chart1: Regional distribution of events recommended for funding.

23. The recommended funding allocations are based on the assessment scores against policy criteria and consideration of the additional factors outlined in paragraph 18.

Applications recommended for funding

24. Of the 44 applications received, staff recommend 21 events be approved for funding and 23 to be declined.

25. Some applications align with the criteria for event funding, as well as criteria for other council grant funds such as arts and culture, and sport and recreation.

26. Staff considered overlaps in funding applications to ensure a coordinated approach is taken to the overall provision of council funding for these events. In some situations, grants will be provided from one grant fund, and in others the total funding may be shared between two or more grant fund sources.

27. In the case of event grants to sporting events, the focus is on audience interest and wider social outcomes of the activity. Examples of social outcomes are social cohesion, identity and sense of belonging. This differs from other sports related grant programmes, which may focus on encouraging participation in, or the development of, a sporting activity.

28. Table 2 below outlines the events that are recommended to be approved. The table includes the funding amount and alignment with key priorities, as outlined in the funding criteria.

29. The recommended funding amount is intended as a contribution to the total event cost, recognising that council is not the main funding provider in most cases.

Table 2: Events recommended for funding and strategic alignment

Event	Alignment with key priorities	Requested funding ($)	Recommended funding ($)
Family Day	Cultural Event	40,000	12,500
Auckland Pride March	Diverse Communities	30,305	27,000
Auckland International Buskers Festival	Anniversary weekend	52,000	40,000
Farmers Santa Parade	Christmas, families and children	170,000	17,000
Takapuna Winter Lights	Distinctive event, families and children	200,000	44,000
Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park	Christmas, families and children	50,000	45,000
Puhinui International Horse Trials	Sport, celebration of excellence	40,000	15,000
Show Jumping Waitematā World Cup Festival	Sport, celebration of excellence	15,000	11,000
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta	Anniversary weekend	25,000	17,000
Iwi of Origin	Māori, youth, sport	65,000	20,000
Mahurangi Regatta	Anniversary weekend	7,000	6,000
2025 Takapuna Beach Cup	Māori, Pasifika, youth, sport, celebration of excellence	15,000	9,000
InterACT 2025!	Youth, Diverse Communities	20,000	16,000
2025 Sir Graeme Douglas International	Sport, celebration of excellence	12,000	6,000
ASB Polyfest	Māori, Pasifika, youth, families, celebration of excellence	200,000	75,000
EcoFest 2025	Environment, sustainability	78,220	25,000
Waiheke Jazz Festival 2025	Arts, UNESCO City of Music	15,000	8,000
Future Future	Sustainability, health and community wellbeing, UNESCO City of Music	155,000	11,000
New Zealand Eid Day, Eid al Fitr 2025	Cultural event	20,000	12,000
Big Gay Out 2025	Diverse Communities	20,000	17,000
Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga 2024	Māori, youth, celebration of excellence	30,000	27,000
Total		$1,259,525	$460,500

30. The allocation of grants totalling $460,500 from the regional event grants budget of $600,0000 for the 2024/2025 financial year leaves a balance of $139,500 unallocated.

31. It is recommended that this unallocated balance be applied to a second funding round. The second funding round will be scheduled with the intention of decisions on applications being made in March 2025.

32. For the applications proposed for funding in this round, the total amount recommended represents 37 per cent of the total amount requested. This compares to proportions ranging from 43 per cent to 66 per cent for funding rounds over the preceding six years.

33. The approach for determining funding levels for individual events has generally aimed at providing continuity of funding over a period of time. Despite not being a guarantee, this helps in providing a degree of certainty around future funding to event organisers.

34. Where recommended funding differs significantly from the requested funding, it may be due to consideration being given to other sources of council funding received by the applicant. Funding may also differ due to the recommended funding being set at a level similar to that of the funding provided in previous years. This enables the maintenance of the distribution of grants to a range of events.

Applications recommended for decline

35. The most common reasons for declining applications are:

· the activity is not within the scope of the grant programme

· the activity is not considered to be of a regional scale

· the activity does not align sufficiently with grant programme priorities

· similar activities are already funded.

36. In some cases, an application may not meet the criteria, but may offer potential for a future successful application. In these cases, staff will offer to work with these applicants to assist in presenting a more fully developed event concept plan that demonstrates alignment with funding priorities.

37. Table 3 lists the applications that are not recommended for funding allocation and includes the reasoning.

Table 3: Events recommended to be declined

Event	Reason for Decline
Titirangi RSA Anzac Service	Small scale local event. Local Anzac services are funded by local boards.
North Shore Centres of Mutual Aid (CMA) December to Remember	Small scale local event focused on members and volunteers. Other Auckland Council funding is provided for North Shore CMA activities.
Illuminate Night Market	Small scale local event focused on young people with diverse abilities.
Puppetry Festival and Art of Illusion 2025	Festival extends over 4 weeks and includes exhibitions, workshops and performances. Individual event activity of smaller scale.
Pacific Fusion Fashion Show 2024	Small scale ticketed event.
Papakura Proud Day	Event with a strong local area focus.
St Patrick's Day Parade and Music and Dance Festival	Long standing event with established funding. Potential candidate for city centre funding programme.
Barangay Banyuhay Aotearoa Day 2024	New event of small scale. Very high proportion of funding sought from regional event grant. Limited wider community reach.
2025 International Summer Kendo Seminar and grading event	Very small scale event focused on grading and development for participants.
MAXX North Harbour International 2024	International profile but small scale in-person audience.
Ramadan Unity Celebration - 2025	Small scale local event. Has received local board funding in previous years.
Christmas at the Canal	Small scale local event. Local Christmas events are funded by local boards.
ICONZ Cohesion Project 2025	Small scale national event. Limited event policy outcomes for Auckland.
Waitangi@Waititi 2025	Funding for Waitangi Day events is provided through dedicated budgets.
Auckland Trail Run/Walk Series (6 events)	Series of six events, primarily participant rather than audience focussed.
Croquet Auckland Golf Croquet Ryman Healthcare Golden Grades Novice Level Doubles Tournament	Application is seeking funding for equipment to enable hosting of premier grade tournaments. Out of scope for the grant programme.
2025 Bunnings Youth National Touch Championship	Currently funding activity with similar outcomes.
Dominion Road Moon Festival	Applicant is no longer proceeding with event in 2024.
Festival Of Cricket	Small scale event focused on the promotion of cricket and fundraising for Sri Lankan community. Limited alignment with grant programme priorities.
Hunua Hillbilly	Small scale event primarily participant rather than audience focused.
The Guerrilla Collection presents ‘A Niu Dawn’	Festival series of performances. Better aligned with Creative New Zealand and arts funding programmes.
Africa Day 2025	Potential access to other funding sources including city centre funding programme.
Birkenhead Borough Presents a Medieval Renaissance Fair	Locally focused event with Town Centre Association funding.

Event Evaluation

38. Staff evaluate the delivery of funded events through post event reports prepared by organisers. When the evaluation is undertaken, the following is taken into consideration:

· elected member feedback

· experiences of the event facilitation/permitting team

· attendance on the day

· media and online coverage of the event

· attendee feedback.

39. The evaluation assesses whether:

· the event is delivered largely in the manner described in the funding application

· the event is well supported and enjoyed by participants, audiences, and the wider community

· the event aligns with council policy priorities.

40. Staff attend some funded events to obtain insights on the event delivery and effectiveness. The observations inform feedback provided to organisers and future funding decisions.

41. Event evaluation is a cost-effective approach to ensuring council achieves value for money while meeting community outcomes.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

42. The main climate impacts of most regional events are with waste management and transportation to or from an event.

43. The event permitting process and grant funding agreements promote and encourage a range of transport options, as well as zero waste.

44. The impact of climate change and severe weather events may result in event cancellations, greater costs to mitigate weather impact, and reduced availability of certain sites for events.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

45. The council regional event grants have a focus on events for Aucklanders with audiences drawn from across the region. Outcomes sought from regional events are associated with community well-being across Auckland. They focus in particular on identity, sense of belonging and connectedness, pride and spirit and social cohesion.

46. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, in contrast, has an interest in larger scale major events, and has provided funding to a portfolio of events. These events have clear priority outcomes relating to visitor attraction and economic benefits.

47. Some applications include events taking place in council venues or on council land or receive other council funding. In these cases, staff consult relevant departments or Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) that may have an interest in the events. This information is considered when presenting recommendations for funding.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

48. Local boards provided formal feedback to inform the development of the Events Policy 2013. The policy guides application assessment and allocation of regional event grants.

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

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

50. The Events Policy 2013 recognises a responsibility to engage and build relationships with Māori. This is done through designing, planning and delivering regional events of mutual interest.

51. The Events Action Plan, which forms part of the policy, places a particular focus on supporting Māori events. This is considered in the context of a diverse and balanced region-wide programme. This priority is highlighted in application information and guides to encourage applications for Māori events.

52. Chart 2 shows comparative analysis of grants provided to events with a Māori focus. This includes having significant Māori content, participation and/or a Māori audience.

53. The number of grants allocated to events with a Māori focus for round one has increased from two last year to three this year. As a proportion of the total number of grants allocated (19 per cent) and total value of grants allocated (28 per cent) the level is consistent with longer term averages. Maintaining representation of Māori focused events within the grant programme continues to be a priority.

Chart 2 – Regional funding provided to events with a Māori focus

(2024/2025 values include amounts proposed in this report)

54. The four events recommended for funding, and considered to have a Māori focus in this 2024/2025 financial year round one, are:

· Iwi of Origin

· 2025 Takapuna Beach Cup

· ASB Polyfest

· Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga 2024

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

55. Staff recommend confirming grants totalling $460,500 as the proposed allocation for the first round from the total 2024/2025 financial year’s contestable regional event grants budget of $600,000.

56. A second funding round is scheduled, with decisions on applications in March 2025.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

57. There is a risk that events will not be successfully delivered in accordance with event plans submitted in grant applications. Staff mitigate this risk through the assessment process, considering the experience of event organisers, prior experience in holding the event and by attendance at events.

58. In many cases council is one of several funders making independent assessments for funding of an event. The ability of event organisers to raise funding from multiple sources increases confidence in the event proposal.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

59. Following approval from the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee, funding agreements will be prepared, which will include conditions for payment of funding.

60. A second funding round for the year will see grant recommendations put to the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee in March 2025.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Application Summaries
b ⇨	Prioritisation Criteria

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

David McIntosh - Senior Advisor - Events

Authorisers

Kenneth Aiolupotea - General Manager Community Wellbeing

Rachel Kelleher - Director Community

Miriana Knox - Acting Director Policy, Planning and Governance

Community Committee

24 September 2024

Regional Arts and Culture grants allocation round one 2024/2025

File No.: CP2024/12171

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve grants to regional arts organisations and artists through round one of the Regional Arts and Culture grants programme 2024/2025.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Regional Arts and Culture grants programme enables organisations, communities and artists to deliver arts and culture projects and activities across Tāmaki Makaurau. Grants delivered through this programme support the implementation of Toi Whītiki, Auckland’s Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan and align to Auckland Council’s Community Grants policy.

3. The Community Grants policy states that Governing Body committees will award grants to regionally significant organisations, services, events and activities that benefit residents across Auckland.

4. The contestable programme has a budget of $1,331,869 for 2024/2025, to be allocated through two funding rounds.

5. In the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years, 16 multi-year strategic relationship grants were approved that still have yearly payments to be made. The commitment for these grants in 2024/2025 is $630,000.

6. This leaves a balance of $701,869 to distribute over two funding rounds for 2024/2025.

7. Fifty-five applications were received for round one, requesting a total of $1,093,250.

8. Informed by an external assessment panel, staff recommend approving a total of $381,440 in round one (Attachment A):

· $159,221 to 16 audience development and programming grants

· $47,219 to 4 business and capacity project grants

· $175,000 to 4 strategic relationship grants.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Community Committee:

a) whakaae /approve the following allocations to arts organisations through the Regional Arts and Culture grants programme round one 2024/2025:

Organisation	Activity	Funding Allocation
Audience development and programming
Te Pou Theatre	Kōanga Festival 2025	$15,000
Auckland Pride Festival	Pride Elevates	$15,000
Te Tuhi	Chinese art appreciation programme	$12,000
Panacea Arts Charitable Trust	Outreach arts for disabled and diverse communities	$15,000
Polynesian Entertainers	Siva Afi Festival	$10,672
Girls Rock Aotearoa	To The Front Tāmaki Makaurau	$5,000
Te Rehia Theatre	"Kōpū" Christmas Season	$10,000
The Theatreview Trust	Auckland Theatre Editor	$12,000
Connected Media Trust	Day One Hāpai te Haeata - Stories for a better tomorrow	$10,000
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Foundation	Mana Moana \| Songs of the Pacific	$10,000
Tim Bray Theatre Company	'Mrs. Wishy-Washy' regional tour	$15,000
The Rebel Alliance	Retirement village performances of ” Back to Square One?” Tāmaki Makaurau	$5,000
Plumb Productions	A Dolls House - Part 2 by Lucas Hnath	$9,019
Kāhui St David's / Friends of St David's Trust Kāhui Rangi Pūpū	"Green Door Open" and "Refugee Choir" programmes	$7,000
Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre	Music Therapy Holiday Programmes in Tāmaki Makaurau	$12,530
NZ Barok	NZ Barok Celebrating 20 Years 2004-2024	$3,000
Total		$159,221
Business capacity and development
Depot Arts and Music Space Trust	Digital Transformation and Implementation of Digital Business Strategy	$15,000
Performing Arts Network New Zealand	PANNZ Arts Market	$15,000
The Massive Company Trust	Google Analytics GA4 Migration and Marketing Coordinator Professional Development	$7,219
The Rebel Alliance	Strategic plan	$10,000
Total		$47,219
Strategic relationship grants
Touch Compass Dance Trust	To provide Aotearoa’s leading professional disability-led arts organisation. Create accessible high-quality performances, inclusive arts education and arts activations.	$40,000 over 2 years
Artspace Aotearoa	Artspace Aotearoa provides an artist-led non-profit contemporary art gallery located in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. It presents an outstanding annual programme of contemporary art.	$45,000 over 3 years
Depot Arts and Music Space	To provide regional services including Wayfind Creative, Depot Sound, Creative Careers Services and Whare Toi	$20,000 over 2 years
The Documentary New Zealand Trust (Doc Edge)	Celebrate, support and showcase documentary film through a range of programmes including a festival, schools programme and professional development for filmmakers	$45,000 over 3 years
The Big Idea Re Aria Nui Charitable Trust	Provide an online hub of creative possibilities, learning, employment, news, events, connection and inspiration	$25,000 over 1 year
Total		$175,000
TOTAL RECOMMENDED		$381,440

Horopaki

Context

9. The Regional Arts and Culture grants programme has been developed in accordance with Auckland Council’s Community Grants Policy, as adopted at the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee meeting on 4 December 2014 (REG/2014/134).

10. This policy acknowledges that community-led organisations are experts in their respective fields and can mobilise a range of relationships and resources to achieve goals that align with council objectives.

11. The Regional Arts and Culture grants programme budget is allocated under the following three categories:

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

· 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.

· Strategic relationship grants: These grants are single or multi-year funding relationships with strategic organisations operating at the regional level. These organisations are, or can become, the ‘cornerstones’ of a thriving arts and culture sector in Auckland.

12. In 2022/2023, the Regional Arts and Culture grants programme allocated $1,263,676 to 52 organisations. This saw projects delivered to audiences of 302,782 with over 50,000 active participants. Fifteen organisations successfully completed business development projects to help their long-term sustainability.

13. Impact reporting on the 2023/2024 programme will be provided in April 2025.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

14. Staff provided guidance to applicants and potential applicants. Staff and an external arts sector panel assessed the applications and made recommendations based on the arts and culture assessment matrix criteria (Attachment B). The external assessors are peer reviewers chosen to represent a range of art forms, skills and experience.

15. Staff recommend allocating $159,221 to 16 audience development and programming grants, $47,219 to 4 business and capacity project grants, and $175,000 to five strategic relationship grants. Twenty-two applications were not recommended for funding (refer Attachment A), and eight did not meet the funding criteria and were not included in the assessment process.

Strategic relationship grants

16. The Community Grants policy provides direction to prioritise multi-year funding relationships with strategic organisations operating at the regional level. The term lengths are staggered to ensure an even and cyclical renewal opportunity for partners. This enables long term predictability of funding and assists with planning. Strategic relationship grants currently range from $20,000 - $65,000 per annum (Attachment C).

17. Staff have recommended funding a total of $175,000 to five strategic relationship grants.

18. Funding the recommended project and strategic relationship grants will allow council to:

· continue its relationship with regional arts organisations

· invest in building capacity and capability so that organisations are better able to deliver their services effectively with long term benefits to the arts sector and audiences; and

· provide arts opportunities to support wellbeing and connectedness.

The reasons for not recommending applications for funding fall into the following areas:

· projects that do not align sufficiently with the priorities and aims of the Regional Arts and Culture grants programme policy

· applications and projects that require further development to be ready for consideration

· applications more closely aligned with priorities for other council grant funds are referred to these programmes e.g. local board grants or the Creative Communities Scheme

· requests for grants exceed the available funds.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

19. Many of the recommended projects are developing or delivering online content. This may support a positive impact on climate change due to the reduced need for people to travel to reach these services.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

20. Several applications are for projects that connect with other areas of council delivery. These include projects taking place in a council venue or receiving council funding for other aspects of their work. In these cases, staff consult relevant bodies that may have an interest in the projects and provide this information to the assessment panel.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

21. Applications that are more suited to local board grants are referred to the appropriate funding programme for consideration. This provides an opportunity for all applications to be assessed equally for potential funding through not only regional but local funding activities.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

22. This funding supports both Māori and non-Māori organisations and artists helping to deliver arts and culture outcomes for Māori.

23. All applications were assessed for their delivery of Māori outcomes.

24. In this round, two applications recommended for funding are from Māori organisations. A further four applications will deliver strong Māori outcomes through work led by Māori practitioners for Māori audiences and participants.

25. These align with outcomes in the Auckland Plan (Direction 4: Showcase Auckland’s Māori identity and vibrant Māori culture), Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau (Kia ora te ahurea – Māori identity and culture) and Toi Whītiki Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan (Auckland celebrates a unique cultural identity - celebrate Māori).

26. Reporting on the delivery of Māori outcomes is included in the funding agreements for all approved strategic relationship grants.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

27. The contestable programme has a budget of $1,331,869 for 2024/2025 to be allocated through two funding rounds.

28. In the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years, 16 multi-year strategic relationship grants were approved that still have yearly payments to be made. The commitment for these grants in the 2024/2025 financial year is $630,000.

29. This leaves a balance of $701,869 to distribute throughout this financial year. Staff recommend allocating $381,440 in this funding round, leaving $320,429 to distribute in round two. Applications for round two will open in October 2024.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

30. There are no significant risks associated with this report. Ongoing relationship management with applicants and grant acquittal requirements mitigate any risk of misuse of grant funding.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

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

32. All applicants will be offered the opportunity to discuss their application.

33. Where grants are awarded that do not meet the full amount requested, appropriate outcomes for the level of funding will be discussed with the recipients. This will be reflected in the funding agreement.