Creative New Zealand, the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, invested $33.7 million in the arts for the last financial year – an increase of $800,000 on the previous year, according to its Annual Report for the 2009/10.
“The support of the New Zealand public, through the Government and the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, allowed us to invest more money in grants and initiatives this year than ever before,” said Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright.
“We can also observe that the creativity of New Zealand’s artists, performers and arts organisations is not bound by global financial cycles,” he said.
Figures provided by arts organisations which Creative New Zealand funds recurrently have also shown that New Zealanders are supporting the arts. Overall attendance had increased to 656,500 up from 641,000 in the previous year.