Members of the new Arts Council of Creative NZ welcomed

Members of the new Arts Council of Creative New Zealand welcomed

The Chairman of the new Arts Council of Creative New Zealand, Dr Richard Grant, welcomed the announcement of the Council’s members today by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Christopher Finlayson.

Under the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 2014, the single Arts Council will be responsible for policy, strategy and funding allocation, replacing the previous division of responsibilities between the Arts Council, the Arts Board, Te Waka Toi and the Pacific Arts Committee.

The 13-member Arts Council is as follows: Dr Richard Grant (Chairman); Ms Suzanne Ellison; Ms Rose Evans; Ms Karyn Fenton-Ellis; Mr Darrin Haimona; Mr Peter-Lucas Kaaka Jones; Mr Grant Kerr; Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban; Mr Wayne Marriott; Mr Michael Prentice; Ms Felicity Price; Ms Caren Rangi and Mr James Wallace.

“The new Arts Council is a strong blend of expertise from the current Council and funding bodies and new members. They bring a wide geographical spread and a range of arts knowledge and skills,’’ said the Arts Council Chairman, Dr Richard Grant.

“I am confident we will deliver the best possible results for the country’s artists and arts organisations.’’

Six members of the new Council were members of the Creative New Zealand’s previous governing and funding bodies. They are: Dr Richard Grant (Chair of the former Arts Council); James Wallace (Arts Council member); Darrin Haimona (Chair of Te Waka Toi); Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban (Chair of the Pacific Arts Committee), Caren Rangi (Pacific Arts Committee member) and Michael Prentice (Arts Board member).

The new Council has members with knowledge of Māori arts, te ao Māori and tikanga Māori. These members were appointed in consultation with the Minister of Māori Affairs.

There are also two members with knowledge of the arts, and the traditions or cultures, of the Pacific Island peoples of New Zealand. They were appointed in consultation with the Minister for Pacific Island Affairs.

The Arts Council of Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa:

Richard Grant (Chairman) of Havelock North is the chair of the outgoing Council. He had a distinguished diplomatic career of more than 40 years working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Pacific, Europe, Australia and Asia. From January 2008 until March 2012, he was Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. A graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, he received his doctorate at the University of Clermont-Ferrand in France. In 1999 he was a Visiting Scholar at the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and in 2004 was a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University.

Suzanne Ellison (Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki) of Otago is an iwi manager and researcher for arts and cultural heritage projects. She provides information, research, networks and management skills for a range of arts and culturally based projects and has a particular knowledge of Kai Tahu/Te Wai Pounamu networks. Suzanne chairs the Ngai Tahu Fund. She was a senior manager with Ngai Tahu Development Corporation for more than 10 years. In 2008, she completed two terms as a board member of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.

Rose Evans (Te Atiawa) of Auckland is a heritage professional with 20 years’ experience with major museums, galleries, private collectors and corporate clients, including Auckland Council and the Historic Places Trust. She is actively involved in the conservation profession and the broader cultural heritage industry in New Zealand and internationally. In 2001 she received a Getty Scholarship and in 2009 was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. She is a former trustee of Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust and is a current board member of the Michael King Writers’ Centre.

Karyn Fenton-Ellis of Waikato was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2014 New Year’s Honours’ List for services to the community, arts and racing. As a senior executive for Tower Ltd, she implemented a range of arts sponsorships from 1997-2013. Under her leadership Tower was named NBR Business Sponsor of the Arts in 1998 and 2005. She served as a National Trustee for the Arts Foundation of New Zealand from 2007-2009 and is a former board member of the Christchurch Arts Festival.

Darrin Haimona (Ngati Haua) of Waikato is the former chair of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand. He is chief Executive of Te Hauora O Ngati Haua Trust. He has set up and run a local iwi arts management plan, and has worked on community housing and non-violence networks. He has strong links with Māori communities in Waikato.

Grant Kerr of Auckland is a consultant specialising in commercial property investments and business acquisitions. He practised law in New Plymouth for many years and was senior partner of New Plymouth law firm, Reeves Middleton Young from 2001-2008. In 1991 Grant was co-founder of the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust Inc and chairperson from 1992-2003. He was awarded a QSM in 2004 for services to the community.

Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, QSO of Wellington is the former Chair of the Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand. She is Assistant Vice Chancellor (Pasifika) at Victoria University. This follows a Parliamentary career in which she held positions as the Member of Parliament for Mana, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and Associate Minister of Social Development, Economic Development, and Trade. Elected in 1999, Luamanuvao Winnie Laban was the first Pacific Island woman in the New Zealand Parliament. She resigned in October 2010 to take up her position at Victoria University.

Peter-Lucas Kaaka Jones of Northland is General Manager of Te Hiku Media, Kaitaia and a Board member and Treaty Settlement negotiator with Te Rūnanga Nui O Te Aupōuri, Te Aupōuri Iwi Development Trust. He was executive secretary/adviser for Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board from 2009-11 and Board Secretary/Executive Assistant to CEO of the Māori Language Commission from 2006-2009.

Wayne Marriott of Whakatāne is Manager, Culture and Heritage for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and since 2007 Director of Te Waipounamu Museums, a cultural heritage and cultural business consultancy. He is an experienced cultural heritage and art gallery director who has held numerous senior positions in New Zealand and internationally. These include Manager, Arts and Culture at the Whakatane District Council (2009-2012). Recently he has completed a contract with Tuhoe Uru Tamatea on the development of their Library, Archives and Heritage space within Te Wharehou o Tuhoe. He led the redevelopment of Te Koputu o te Whanaga a Toi (Whakatane) and the Town Acre 445 redevelopment of the Nelson Provincial Museum.

Michael Prentice of Christchurch is a former member of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand. Michael is Managing Director of the Christchurch office of strategic design consultancy Designworks. Previously he was Planning Director for Ogilvy New Zealand. He has extensive managerial and commercial skills and has developed the brand and advertising strategies of some of New Zealand's most recognised brands. He founded and chaired the trust board of contemporary dance company, Black Grace and is a former director of Auckland’s performing arts facilities organisation, The Edge.

Felicity Price of Canterbury was awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to business and the arts in 2009. She was chair of the Court Theatre for seven years until 2013, and also recently chaired the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and The Press Christchurch Writers’ Festival. She is the author of seven published works of fiction and three of non-fiction and is a recent Victoria University International Institute for Modern Letters graduate in Creative Writing.

Caren Rangi of Hawkes Bay, is of Cook Islands Māori descent, and is a former member of the Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand. She is an experienced public sector governance practitioner, with a passion for Cook Islands Māori dance, music and cultural history. Caren is a qualified accountant and auditor who owns and operates Ei Mua Consulting Ltd, providing consulting services in facilitation, strategic planning and training. Caren is a board member for NZ On Air (the Broadcasting Commission) and the Charities Registration Board. She is also a trustee of the Eastern and Central Community Trust, and Pacific Homecare Services, and was a founding board member of the National Pacific Radio Trust.

James Wallace of South Canterbury is a former member of the Arts Council of Creative New Zealand. He is a lawyer in private practice and lives on a small farm near Geraldine. James was previously a member of the QE2 Arts Council for four years before it became Creative New Zealand in 1994. He has also been involved in arts development at a community level through arts festivals, community arts councils, music, theatre and gallery groups. In recent times James has been a board member of Arts Access Aotearoa and Arts on Tour NZ. In 2014 he was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contribution to arts and conservation.

Background
On 31 January 2014, the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill became an Act. The Act will take effect from 1 May this year. Under the Act, Creative New Zealand’s 28-member governance and funding structure of an Arts Council, Arts Board, Te Waka Toi (the Māori arts board) and Pacific Arts Committee (a committee of the Arts Board) has been be replaced by a single governance body with 13 members.

The single Arts Council will be responsible for policy, strategy and funding allocation.

Under the new Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act, artists will continue to have their proposals assessed by Māori, Pacific and other external artform peers. Funding will also continue to be allocated specifically to support both Māori and Pacific arts.

The inclusion of a minimum of four Māori and two Pacific representatives on the 13-member board will also ensure a strong Māori and Pacific voice is included in setting Creative New Zealand’s policies and funding strategies.

ENDS

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