Government investment into culture and heritage will ensure the sector continues to flourish with a focus on resilience, sustainability, and mātauranga Māori, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan says.

'A focus of this budget is supporting iwi Māori to elevate and enrich the culture and heritage of tangata whenua, recognising their role as knowledge holders, cultural owners and kaitiaki of mātauranga Māori," says Allan.

'This includes a $4 million boost to funding for Te Matatini to help the group develop their aspirations above and beyond the Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata Festival and continue to inspire generations.

'Te Matatini is the pinnacle event on the Māori performing arts calendar. Along with delivering the world-leading indigenous festival, the investment will support Te Matatini to develop a regional kapa haka model, ultimately encouraging more people to get involved in kapa haka throughout regions, enhancing social, cultural, te reo and kapa haka expertise throughout Aotearoa, and providing a further point of connection to Te Ao Māori.

'We've lifted investment into the Commemorating Waitangi Day Fund so more communities can learn about Te Tiriti o Waitangi through local iwi Māori-led events," says Allan.

'And I'm especially pleased that, through this budget, we have been able to build on the great work done to introduce Matariki as our first uniquely te ao Māori public holiday.

Investment in Matariki celebrations will go towards supporting iwi, hapū, and whānau to lead Matariki events with and for their communities at local, regional and national levels.

"This means that every New Zealander will have the opportunity to learn about Matariki, and fully appreciate the significance of this holiday," says Allan.

A total of $10 million is provided for Matariki and Waitangi Day celebrations and events.

'Building on the nearly half billion invested through previous budgets in recent years, ensuring our cultural organisations have the means to not only survive but continue to build resilience to thrive in challenging times, has been front of mind with this year's budget," says Allan.

'We've provided much-needed investment that will help cultural sector organisations sustain baseline operations and strive to pay their workers a living wage, while at the same time planning for a sustainable future.

Allan says Covid-19 continues to impact many of NZ's cultural entities, especially those that rely on a large number of visitors to keep the lights on.

"To help address this, we've extended the Museum Hardship Fund with an additional $1 million which will also see support continue to flow where it's needed to keep our whare taonga, museums and galleries ready to welcome visitors," says Allan.

'We've also provided $3 million in support for the Waitangi National Trust Board to help them keep the Treaty Grounds open to the public and protect the taonga that is held there.

'In keeping with the preservation of our taonga, we've invested $42.9 million in Te Papa to begin the building of a new Spirit Collection Area, which will house a large portion of the museum's 1.2 million natural history specimens. The new building will address health and safety issues that put the precious collection – and the people that work with it – at significant risk.

'This Budget contributes to the Government's ongoing mahi to safeguard and uplift our cultural taonga. Ultimately, our unique culture and heritage is what defines us as a nation – we have to nourish it to see it grow,” says Allen.

Further information
Budget 2022 makes available $18 million to celebrate Te Ao Māori and preserve NZ's taonga – including funding for the commemoration and celebration of Matariki and Waitangi Day, and supporting some of our cultural institutions to continue to showcase and protect our taonga.
• $10 million to embed the commemoration and celebration of Matariki into New Zealand's national fabric over the long-term and enable community-level celebrations for Matariki across the country, as well as an increase in the Commemorating Waitangi Day Fund to enable regional and community-based celebrations
• $4 million to Te Matatini to enable the continued delivery of Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata Festival and to develop a regional kapa haka model
• An additional $1 million to the Museum Hardship Fund, administered by Te Papa, to support the whare taonga from the ongoing effects of COVID-19
• $3 million to the Waitangi National Trust Board in order to keep the grounds open to the public, and to safeguard the taonga it houses.

In addition, Budget 2022 provides $42.9 million in capital funding to rebuild a fit for purpose Spirit Collection Area for Te Papa to continue to deliver its world class services in a compliant and cost-effective way while increasing iwi and community engagement. The Spirit Collection Area is a collection facility owned by Te Papa which houses a significant proportion of New Zealand's unique and globally precious natural history collections.