Arts get $170m COVID injection

The Government has unveiled a $175 million package to help artists and musicians recover from the shock of COVID-19.

Arts and Heritage Minister Jacinda Ardern says Treasury has forecast that without government help the $11 billion cultural sector could shed 11,000 jobs over the next year.

A healthy cultural sector contributes to other important parts of the economy, such as technical production, hospitality, venues and domestic tourism.

She says the package will help protect cultural sector jobs and create new employment opportunities, build skills, knowledge and resilience, protect Māori knowledge and art forms, and continue to provide inspiration for all New Zealanders.

They include a jobseekers programme based on the former Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment or PACE programme;

•  $70 million fund to commission and support creative projects at a national and local level;
• $60 million contestible Cultural Innovation Fund to encourage new ways of operating, including digital exports and supporting innovative approaches to Māori art forms and traditional knowledge;
•  $20 million Cultural Capability Fund covering immediate needs such as legal services, online delivery and audience development;

And a $16.5 million Fund specifically directed towards the contemporary popular music industry.

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