Dean Jacqui: Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill — First Reading 
Dean Jacqui: Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:665;Page:13097] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 I rise to speak on the first reading of the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill. I note the concerns of my colleague across the House about representation. I am sure that Minister Finlayson’s very wise choice to send the bill to the all-powerful Government Administration Committee will ensure that we have good discussion on issues such as representation. I know also that a member of our committee Kanwaljit Bakshi often raises the issue of Asian representation so he keeps those issues to the forefront. I know that he will make a good contribution to this bill. 
This is a good bill. It will streamline the provision of funding for arts in New Zealand. As a former practitioner of arts in the theatre I have been a beneficiary of— 
Grant Robertson 
: Which theatre? 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Quite a few actually. I could run through them but we will save those for another time. From my earliest performing days when I was based in Palmerston North at the Centrepoint Theatre and at the Children’s Art Theatre in Wanganui we would make applications to the Arts Council of New Zealand—as I think it was called then—and we would get funding for our various projects. It was valuable to me as a young performer enabling me to work professionally for a very meagre pay if I remember. However that did not seem to matter quite so much back in those days because the satisfaction of performing far outweighed what we were recompensed. In fact I would go as far as to say that no theatre job I have ever done anywhere in New Zealand has paid anything more than peanuts. Again that is not addressed in this bill but I just note— 
Grant Robertson 
: What about  
Play School 
? That paid well. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Television New Zealand was a different matter. I note it in the context of the commitment—I am making a serious point here—of performing artists in New Zealand. That is why performing artists who make the commitment to make performing arts their life and work—as I did for a number of years and I loved and valued the work I did—value the critical support of Creative New Zealand for that work; it remains the same today. With a streamlined unitary board coming out of the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Bill I can see a much more comprehensive approach to enabling arts in New Zealand. 
In my brief contribution I will talk about community arts providers. I have also sat as a local government representative on a local community arts funding board. That is right down at the community level. I sat in the boardroom in Oamaru council buildings hearing applications for community groups to run community events to be funded by Creative New Zealand and the Creative Communities scheme. Those small community events from memory ranged from creative dance events at Teschemakers to productions up at Kurow. Applications were made for grants of maybe $500 or $600. That does not sound like a lot of money when we are sitting here in the Parliament in Wellington but the kinds of grants that are granted into small communities throughout New Zealand are significant not only for young performers who wish to make their way in the arts in New Zealand but also for community groups who love the arts for themselves. 
The Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Minister Finlayson has brought a good bill to this House. I am determined that the all-powerful Government Administration Committee will give it its due. We will consider the issues raised by our Labour colleagues. I recognise and appreciate that they support this bill going through to the select committee. We will make a thorough examination of the bill and try to come to a consensus so that Labour can continue to support the passage of this excellent bill through the House. With those words I commend the bill to the House.