Government delivers further support for arts and culture sector

The Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme will be boosted by $70 million, enabling the coverage of the Scheme to be extended right through to 31 January 2023 for events that were planned before the move to Red. Key eligibility criteria have also been extended.

• The Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund has been provided an additional $35.5 million to fund more direct support for individuals and organisations

• The limit on funding for individual organisations has been increased from $100,000 to $300,000.

• A one-off grant of $5,000 will be available to eligible self-employed individuals/sole traders in the arts and cultural sector who have lost income or opportunities to work.

• The Screen Production Recovery Fund has been boosted by a further $15 million.

Following the Government’s shift to the Red traffic light setting and ongoing pressures on the arts and culture sector, the Government is moving swiftly to cushion the blow, providing further support for the sector, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today.

“The Government has been actively engaging with the arts and culture sector to understand their needs as the pandemic has progressed, and we’re responding by delivering much-needed financial relief,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “The arts and culture sector contributes approximately $10.9 billion to the New Zealand economy, making up about 3.4% of GDP.

“Our strategy continues to be to slow the spread of Omicron down. New Zealanders have helped put us in a position to fight Omicron, but as we’ve said before, when COVID changes, we change. 

“The Red traffic light setting, whilst needed to protect the health and safety of New Zealanders, has had an impact on the livelihoods of those who make a living out of arts and culture. That’s why we’re committing to a one-off $5,000 grant for self-employed individuals/sole-traders who can show proof of a loss of income or opportunity to work.

“We’re also extending the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme, the Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund, and the Screen Production Recovery Fund.

The Arts and Cultural Event Support Scheme will receive a financial boost, extending coverage to events scheduled to take place before 31 January 2023, that were planned before the move to Red. This also includes extension of criteria to cover cancellations due to a lead performer getting Covid or needing to isolate.

“It’s important to reassure artists and crew that they will get paid despite their event being cancelled due to Red. The Scheme includes an obligation to make full payment, as if the event had gone ahead, to artists, performers and production crew and/or organisations.”

The Government are also making it easier for people to apply for the Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund and increasing financial support available for organisations by making changes to payment limits and the eligibility criteria. This will include setting up an application stream dedicated to self-employed people and sole-traders, in addition to the application stream for organisations.

“Internationally, Omicron is having a significant impact on the film industry, with cast/crew sickness in some cases causing productions to shut down, resulting in higher costs. Aotearoa New Zealand’s screen industry will not be immune from these pressures, so we are acting now to provide extra support for this key sector of our economy.

“The Screen Production Fund will receive a boost to enable an extension of the fund through to 31 December 2022, to maximise production activity and minimise the impacts of any COVID-19 outbreaks.

“I’m confident that our move to extend critical support schemes for New Zealand’s arts and cultural event sector will provide some relief and help our wonderful creative communities to get back on their feet. 

“I want to acknowledge the huge financial and emotional strain and uncertainty that everyone in the sector is facing, but I want to underline our Government’s commitment to supporting the revival of the arts and culture sector,” Carmel Sepuloni said. 

 HEADLINE DETAILS

·         The Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme will be boosted by $70.7 million – giving arts and cultural sector event organisers the confidence to deliver planned events right through to the end of January 2023. Key eligibility criteria have also been extended and consideration is being given to how new events can be supported in the latter half of 2022. 

·         The Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund has been provided an additional $35.5 million to fund more direct support for individuals and organisations most affected by the restrictions introduced in January 2022 to slow the spread of COVID-19.

·         The limit on Emergency Relief Funding for individual organisations has been increased from $100,000 to $300,000.

·         A one-off grant of $5,000 will be available to eligible self-employed individuals/sole traders in the arts and cultural sector who have lost income or opportunities to work as a result of the restrictions introduced in January 2022 to slow the spread of COVID-19.

·         The Screen Production Recovery Fund has been boosted by a further $15 million.

The newest big name in New Zealand music ‘Loane Records’, opens its doors to artists

Co-founders Jacob Loane and Zhayne Candy-Doolan are both artists and wanted to create a space where artists are free to express themselves through their music with as much support as they need to boost their music careers. Jacob and Zhayne both know how hard the music industry can be and offer much needed support to those who may be struggling with the concept of being signed to major labels.

Loane Records is a record label and recording studio that opened its doors to the public in late 2021 and is now taking bookings with artists from all over New Zealand.

Loane Records is an independent label which means the artists keep all their creative freedom, rights to their music and get the most royalties from their projects.

Loane Records are currently working with some upcoming and established artists in New Zealand and abroad and are looking for new artists to add to their roster of releases.

If you would like Loane Records to join you on your musical journey, would like to book studio time or would like to know more please visit www.loanerecords.co.nz

Music industry bodies call on government to urgently reinstate financial support

Yesterday music industry bodies wrote to the Prime Minister and Ministers Grant Robertson, Carmel Sepuloni, and Kiritapu Allan, on behalf of Aotearoa’s contemporary music industry: artists and songwriters who write, perform and record; and the many workers and organisations who support them. 

The letter asked the government to urgently reinstate the Wage Subsidy and Resurgence Support Payments for music sector businesses and sole traders while New Zealand remains is in the red traffic light setting.

The change to red light means that all imminent significant size shows, festivals and events have been cancelled or postponed, with no certainty as to whether any event will be able to safely proceed in coming months, which is already having a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of artists and the entire music sector.

While the music sector is very grateful for the targeted assistance from the government to date, and supports the government’s health response to protect all New Zealanders, the current move to Red sees the music sector in the most precarious position it has faced since the start of the pandemic. The summer festival and touring period accounts for the majority of annual live music income and provides a financial buffer for the rest of the calendar year. The 2022 ‘earning season’ has been drastically reduced, and many have already depleted their reserves surviving the uncertain times so far.

The MCH Event Support Scheme and the MBIE Events Transition Support Payment scheme (ETSP) are useful tools which provide assistance to the live sector, but only within certain parameters and criteria. 

A reinstatement of the Resurgence Support Payment and Wage Subsidy would assist artists and  music sector businesses and sole traders to survive through this next phase of the government’s health response to COVID-19. It would support artists and performers, music venues, live music workers and technical crew, along with assisting the rest of the music sector who will be affected by the ensuing impact.

We are respectfully asking government to act urgently, and we stand ready to provide any information or assistance that is needed.

The Resurgence Support Payment and Wage Subsidy schemes have already proven to be effective tools which can be quickly and efficiently implemented for the music sector. The eligibility criteria centred on decreases in revenue and income ensures the support is being targeted at the most affected people, and artists themselves can access both schemes.

The music industry bodies are united in their support of this request, and ready to provide further information to the government should they need it.

HAVE YOU LOST SIGNIFICANT INCOME DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS? (UPDATED 20DEC21)

If so, you can apply for financial assistance from the government via the Resurgence Support Payment.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re self-employed / a sole-trader, a small business, or have employees, you are entitled to apply for this support if you have lost income.

We know many of our members have been severely impacted by the lockdown, and we want to make sure you’re getting all the financial support that’s available, so in collaboration with the other music organisations and some helpful accountants (thanks Entertainment Accounting!), we’ve put together some detailed advice and FAQs which should help you to access the $$.

We’ve got info about what you’re entitled to, what you need to apply, how to get an NZBN if you need one, deadlines, tax ramifications, helpful contact phone numbers, and even a video to show you how straight forward it can be.

The PDF below provides guidance and information about the Wage Subsidy, Resurgence Support Payment, and other available financial support (hot tip, read this one first):

This is a handy video which gives you the lowdown on applying for the Resurgence Support Payment, with thanks to Bruce Earle at Accountants Wellington.

Five wāhine toa to be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame

The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees will be celebrated at the Aotearoa Music Awards in November 

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is proud to announce the induction of five incredible women. The latest inductees’ hard-fought journeys have left a lasting legacy and forged a path for others on-stage as well as behind the scenes.

Annie Crummer, Debbie Harwood, Dianne Swann, Margaret Urlich and Kim Willoughby will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame in December. They will be recognised for their individual contributions to Aotearoa’s music scene, the inspiration they provided to local artists and audiences, and their importance in shaping New Zealand’s popular culture.

All five women got their start in the early 80’s. Annie and Kim, each having already released music under either solo or group names, found themselves atop the charts as guest vocalists on Netherworld Dancing Toys ‘For Today’. Dianne’s band Everything That Flies was on the rise and earning plaudits everywhere. Debbie’s talent was picked up early with a signing to CBS Records and award nominations following soon after. And Margaret was unmissable as the frontwoman of Peking Man.

“When I was a young person, women were outnumbered in the business by perhaps 100:1,” says Harwood*.

“All of us had toured for years in original bands. As the touring circuit dissolved and radio shut its doors to local music, surviving as an original band became almost impossible. At this time, as video became the new radio, local artists were competing with the huge video budgets of overseas bands. Our videos looked tragic in comparison, and it perpetuated the self-effacing Kiwi attitude that New Zealand music was crap. It was a tough time. The only way to get to the people at this time was to tour the length and breadth of New Zealand, relentlessly building up a live fan base.”

Debbie, Dianne, Annie and Margaret had a chance meeting at the 1985 Aotearoa Music Awards where all of them were finalists. Not long after that, the idea was floated of getting together with the addition of Kim as When The Cat’s Away.

“The idea formed to get together, have some fun and sing a bunch of songs that we like, learn some harmonies. I don’t think anybody pictured it as being as popular as it became,” said Dianne in 2004.

“The Cats toured for two and a half years before ‘Melting Pot’ was released,” said Debbie.

“As the single shot to No.1 in 1988, the industry was incredulous. Considering the lack of support at the time, our success was like a flower cracking through concrete! The sharemarket crash had just happened, and the public loved the band because we were optimistic and energetic. Sometimes I felt like Vera Lynn cheering up the troops. The preference would have been that our original bands had been supported by radio and the public, so we reluctantly accepted the huge success of the band, never fully standing in the glare of it. There was a little bit of bitterness at the necessity of forming such a band: a band that was born out of exhaustion from trying to get airplay and support for our original music, a band that was supposed to be merely a short break from the slog.”

However, from this unexpected success came a multitude of positives and an enduring public and peer adoration and respect for these five supremely talented musicians:

Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer MNZM has one of New Zealand’s best-loved and most travelled voices. That voice has taken her from Avondale to Paisley Park, from local talent quests to duets with Sting, and back to her Rarotongan heritage. She first came to public notice with her inescapable performance on the Netherworld Dancing Toys’ ‘For Today’ (which also featured Kim Willoughby), before going on to a successful solo career as a featured performer, powerhouse vocalist for hire and an enviable CV in musical theatre, notably starring roles in The Lion King and Queen: We Will Rock You (“The voice of one in a million” – Brian May). Annie most recently contributed original work to Waiata Anthems last year and is currently working on a new solo album.

Debbie Harwood
Debbie Harwood is a renaissance woman of the New Zealand music industry. As well as being a platinum-selling and award-winning artist, she has also been a radio host, publicist, tour manager, producer and a music mentor. She has always championed the work of female singer/songwriters. A successful stint touring Australia (most notably working with Jimmy Barnes) was followed by a return to Aotearoa where amongst gigging, Debbie released an all-female album of love songs and masterminded the Give It A Girl concerts, also finding time to lecture on music at the University of Auckland. Debbie’s most recent EP, The Sun, came out in 2019.

Dianne Swann
Playing live to 85,000 people. Signing to two international labels. Recording with Radiohead. Having her song ‘Birthday’ chosen as NME single of the week. These are just some of the highlights of Dianne Swann’s career as a vocalist, songwriter, and performer. After spending much of the 90s in the UK with her bands The Julie Dolphin and Boom Boom Mancini, Dianne returned home and formed the critically-acclaimed duo The Bads, releasing four albums since 2005, as well as touring and recording with the likes of Dave McArtney, Tim Finn and OpShop amongst many others. Having spent a career mostly in bands, Dianne released the album The War On Peace Of Mind under her own name this year to critical acclaim.

Margaret Urlich
Already a New Zealand superstar by the mid-80s thanks to her lead role in Peking Man, Margaret achieved what very few Kiwi artists in the 80’s and 90’s could do by cracking Australia. Her debut solo album Safety In Numbers sold over 250,000 copies across the ditch and established Margaret as one of the premiere artists of the 90’s with multiple platinum albums in both Aotearoa and Australia. Margaret relocated and made a home in rural New South Wales but returned often to New Zealand to tour, most recently in 2019.

Kim Willoughby
From post-punks The Gurlz through to Netherworld Dancing Toys, the platinum-selling and chart-topping When The Cat’s Away as well as being a go-to vocalist for seemingly everyone; Kim’s career is that of the consummate professional. A naturally gifted singer, blessed with a word-for-word perfect recall for song lyrics. Kim continues to tour as Kim Willoughby & the Bandoleros with fellow Hall of Famers Paul Woolwright and Rick Ball (Hello Sailor).

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa

Presented by NZ Music Hall of Fame Trust, the inductions are undertaken in a private ceremony whereupon inductees are gifted a tapu taonga, in accordance with tikanga Māori. All five women inducted will be publicly acknowledged at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards in December on TVNZ 2. The entire broadcast will be streamed on TVNZ On Demand.

Global Crowd Management Leaders Unite for a Safer World

The Global Crowd Management Alliance (GCMA) officially launched today, bringing together crowd managers, organisations, businesses, academics, and individuals with a shared interest in safety from across the globe.

The initiative, spearheaded by the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) and Event Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC) has Board members from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, and a list of supporters and advocates spanning over 15 countries on five continents.

GCMA is a not-for-profit organisation which will promote reasonable crowd management and crowd safety practices worldwide, leading to a globally recognised body of knowledge for professional crowd managers. The Alliance will also create and deliver learning opportunities for crowd management practitioners at all experience levels, in all geographic locations, and regardless of financial means.

The New Zealand founding board representative is Cary Caldwell – a seasoned events and safety professional. He said “New Zealand previously had the enviable situation where, because of our country's original border closures, we were in a position to continue to have mass-scale sporting and musical events and tours. With the Delta variant bringing a new round of lock-downs and the cancellations of multiple events, new government procedures and protocols are being put in place to get events back on track, thus creating new challenges for ingress, security, and crowd flow management while still maintaining a safe environment for attendees. The danger of 'forgetting' about other risks and safety aspects is foremost in the minds of all safety management teams. Having an international team of experts working towards a standardised level of safety protocols goes a long way to mitigating that"

This view was echoed by GCMA Chair Eric Stuart said, I am delighted to have been elected by the founding committee of the Global Crowd Management Alliance to serve as its first Chair. This organisation will enable us to expand the opportunities for sharing knowledge and experience that will help keep people safe. While crowd plans are sometimes complex and need specialist knowledge, basic safety principles can be applied to many locations where crowds gather, and those principles can often be learnt and implemented at little cost. Most importantly, we should never forget that crowds are made up of people who expect to enjoy a pleasant day or evening out, then return home safely. Good crowd management can help achieve that simple, fundamental goal.

Now, as we emerge from the global pandemic that brought the events industry to a standstill, and which has seen a mass exodus of experienced workers, training and education is more important than ever.

Eric, who also Chairs the UK Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), emphasised GCMA’s commitment to diversity in both leadership and membership. We welcome everyone who wishes to enhance crowd safety standards across the globe, and who supports GCMA’s goals to Educate, Advocate, and Motivate crowd management professionals.

If you would like to know more about membership, collaboration, or sponsorship opportunities please contact us on hello@thegcma.com or by visiting www.thegcma.com

Tō Uru Raumati, Have Yours? Campaign Launches

This project sees 20 much-loved stars come together in 18 empty venues across Aotearoa to deliver one message, ‘Tō Uru Raumati, Have Yours?’.

Directed by Kimiora Kaire-Melbourne and scripted by Te Aorere Pewhairangi, the idea of ‘Uru Raumati’ comes from ‘uruwhenua’ which is the Māori term for passport. Uru whenua literally translates to uru (enter) whenua (land or country). Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is your passport to this Raumati (summer) and all its musical festivities. 

Te Aorere Pewhairangi says “this campaign was about targeting rangatahi through social media-specific content and Māori humour. Music has always brought people together, and in a time where lockdown restrictions have become the norm, concerts give us something to look forward to over summer.”

Kimiora Kaire-Melbourne says “we wanted to be a part of this campaign because it was fun, light-hearted and the messaging wasn’t too forceful, something we thought would be more receptive to younger audiences who have likely grown tired of the heavy content in their feeds.” 

Producer Mikee Tucker says “the goal was to create a unique and genuine message that connected people through the lense of music. The safety of Māori communities is our primary concern, followed closely by getting the music industry and Aotearoa back on track.”

Funded by Te Puni Kōkiri (via its Karawhiua campaign), Te Māngai Pāho & Wero Hauora Immunisation Alliance (WeroHIA), the aim of ‘Tō Uru Raumati, Have Yours?’ is to educate and protect.

For more information see https://karawhiua.nz/summer-pass

Featured in alphabetical order:

Awatea Wihongi from Maimoa at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland
Hamo Dell at the Tuning Fork, Auckland
JessB at the Auckland Town Hall
Ka Hao at Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae, Gisborne
Paige at Western Springs, Auckland
Ria Hall at Wharepai Domain, Tauranga
Theia outside the Whammy Bar, K Rd
DJ Sir-Vere at a nightclub in Wellington
Joel Shadbolt from L.A.B, in his garage, Tauranga
Kings at Eden Park, Auckland
Laughton Kora at the Bay Court Theatre, Tauranga
Logan Bell from Katchafire at Claudelands Arena, Hamilton
Maaka Pohatu at Spark Arena, Auckland
PDigsss from Shapeshifter at Rhythm & Alps sign, Wanaka
Pere Wihongi from Maimoa at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland
Rei at the Tuning Fork, Auckland
Rob Ruha at Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae, Gisborne
Stan Walker at the Whanganui Opera House
Te Aorere Pewhairangi at Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae, Gisborne
Teeks at the Civic Theatre, Auckland
Troy Kingi at the Turner Centre, Kerikeri

“On top of all the medication I take to keep myself healthy, I’ve taken the Pfizer vaccine to help stop the spread of Covid. I have the choice of staying home for god knows how long a few times a year OR the choice of getting a Pfizer vaccine to keep myself and others protected when I’m around them. Let’s do our part in moving forward and helping look after each other.” - Paige 

"I want to be excited about a future where I can see & hug my whaanau & friends, where I can play gigs & go to see others play gigs. And most importantly, I want to make sure it’s safe for our most vulnerable to do the same. That’s why I’m vaccinated, and why I urge others who aren’t, to consider it." - Theia 

“I got vaxxed to protect my whānau, my friends, my whakapapa and my tinana. We Māori have always used new technologies for the betterment of our own people, whether it was through writing, new cultivation techniques or medicine. The vaccine is no different!' - Rei

"We want to keep people safe, we want to be able to play events and we also just want to be friendly as well, because I think there are quite a few people out there that maybe have made up their mind or think they have a view on not getting vaccinated or something like that. It's important to be open and still communicate with those people in a calm way and listen and find out why are they thinking that and what their fears are... and tell them that it's okay if you decide to get vaccinated, it's okay, it's not like you've sort of reneged on some integrity." - Sam Trevethick (Shapeshifter)

Pasifika youth group BODIES OF ART release track ‘Our Narrative’!

To empower other disabled pasifika youth and raise awareness.

Talofa lava, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Introducing BODIES OF ART, a group of disabled Pasifika youth who were brought together by MacMaya Consulting Limited, thanks to Le Va and the Faiva Ora Community Innovation Fund, to create the track ’Our Narrative’. The track & video aims to empower Pasifika disabled youth and shed more awareness and light on some of their challenges.

“The name ‘Bodies of Art’ transpired from communicating the entire process “virtually,” as in, different bodies contributing to the art. Highlighting that we are simply upcoming artists eager to create works of art to share. Not only are we producing a work of art, but we are art “embodied”. Despite our disabilities we grow through the beauty of creativity.” - Maretta

Maretta Brown, Ziah Fue, Kassi Scarlett and Jayke Homarirangi Hope were all asked to be a part of this project to create the track. Ese Aumalesulu of Tejit Records reached out to each of the individuals.
A couple of the members jumped on the project before knowing what it was fully about and became inspired to contribute when they found out more. With each member of Bodies of Art having a different musical background, this was something different to what they would normally work on and they had to also adapt to the current lockdown situation in Aotearoa, but they were happy to do it.

“As a collective we bring a range of skills, backgrounds and talent combined. This opportunity has enabled us to express our emotions, messages and our narratives with not only our pacific communities but the world.
We worked on every aspect from arranging parts and ideas, to recording individual pieces. I am really proud that in our current circumstances of lockdown, we were able to unite and create positivity and a special message through the gift of music. “ – Maretta

Due to lockdown, a lot of this project was discussed and created via messenger voice communication. The group contributed ideas for themes and Kassi’s recommendation, which became the key theme was “Be part of my story, and not my story. Walk with us and not for us.” The video depicts Kassi Scarlett on a journey in the Auckland CBD with images of the group shown throughout to show it isn’t just one person on this journey or who feels this way.