Maharey Steve: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Bill — First Reading 
Maharey Steve: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:606;Page:3681] 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Social Services and Employment) 
 on behalf of the 
Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage 
: I move  
That the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Bill be now read a first time. 
 It is my intention that it be referred to the Government Administration Committee. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has long been one of the country’s most prized cultural assets. For nearly 60 years originally as part of the then New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation and then as a stand-alone organisation the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has provided New Zealanders with outstanding performances of orchestral music. More broadly it is one of the platforms on which over time New Zealand has constructed a strong sense of artistic potential. The excellence of our national orchestra signals something very important about our culture and our cultural expertise both to New Zealanders and to the rest of the world.  
The significance and quality of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has been well understood by successive Governments. Since the orchestra was founded all Governments have supported the funding of this publicly owned orchestra that has become a national icon. In the year 2000 the Government put the orchestra on a more secure financial footing. At that time as part of the cultural recovery package the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra received a significant capital injection. An extra $1.4 million annually was put into its operational funding.  
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has its own Act of Parliament. Under the current Act the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Act the orchestra is established as a limited liability company. It operates within the requirements of the Companies Act but without any legislative guidance in respect of its purpose or functions. That primary concern with a commercial focus is an anomaly. Few people would assert that the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra exists principally for commercial reasons. It has been owned and funded by the New Zealand Government because as our national touring orchestra it plays a key cultural role. It would be an irresponsible Government that as owner and funder did not have expectations about the orchestra’s performance in that role. The Government believes it is now appropriate that those expectations are made explicit.  
The purpose of this bill is therefore to provide the orchestra with clearly defined objectives and functions and with a legislative basis for its operation as a non-company Crown entity that is consistent with those objectives and functions and that accurately reflects the orchestra’s relationship to its owner the Government. Among other things the bill signals the Government’s expectation that the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will provide the public of New Zealand with performances of symphonic music of an international standard. It will be required to seek to contribute to the development of a distinctly New Zealand cultural environment and to encourage New Zealand musical composition. Its formal functions will include presenting a broad repertoire of orchestral performance including New Zealand works and recent works encouraging the development of New Zealand musicians and encouraging the development of New Zealanders’ knowledge and appreciation of orchestral music.  
Significant sums of taxpayers’ money are involved in funding the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. It is therefore appropriate that the clearest possible legislative mandate is in place for the orchestra. This legislation provides the people of New Zealand as both music lovers and taxpayers with a meaningful accountability mechanism. It provides a firm basis for the discussion between the Government and the orchestra each year over its funding and provides Parliament with a touchstone for its examination of the performance of the orchestra each year during the estimates and financial review processes. The new legislation will guide the orchestra itself in its continuing development and in its continuing contribution to our lively and evolving cultural sector.  
Let me add that the bill has been drafted with the support of the orchestra’s board and management and there has also been consultation with the orchestra’s players’ committee. Nothing in this legislation diminishes the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s artistic independence or integrity. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will continue to act without ministerial or indeed parliamentary direction in artistic matters. The orchestra will continue to be required to make prudent financial decisions. The fact that the Government is involved with the orchestra for cultural rather than commercial reasons does not mean that the orchestra is exempt from commercial imperatives. The Government will expect the orchestra to operate in a financially responsible manner and to maintain its financial viability.  
The Government recognises the very great importance of our cultural sector. It recognises that many cultural organisations among them our committed and expert regional orchestras contribute to the well-being of that sector and therefore to the richness of our lives as New Zealanders. We do however have special expectations of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as one of our foremost cultural institutions and the public makes a considerable investment in its ongoing success. This bill is consistent with both the status of the orchestra and the expectations that the Government and New Zealanders have of it.  
In closing I add that I am of course introducing this bill on behalf of the Prime Minister Helen Clark who would like me to say that she endorses this legislation fully and looks forward to its passage through the House.