9. Question No. 9—Arts Culture and HeritageANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and HeritageQuestion No. 9—Arts Culture and Heritage9. ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour) to the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage: What upcoming events supported by the Government celebrate Pacific arts and artists?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage): Fakaalofa lahi atu Mr Speaker. I have the privilege of hosting the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards here at Parliament tonight. New Zealand is a Pacific nation and Pacific people are a significant part of New Zealand's history and future. Our arts and culture make an important contribution to the richness and diversity of our multicultural Pasifika nation. This Government is committed to supporting the aspirations of Pacific people and recognising the value they bring to New Zealand. The Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards is a great opportunity to come together to celebrate this.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What else is the Government doing to support Pacific arts?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Since the implementation of Creative New Zealand's Pacific Arts Strategy last year there have been a number of exciting announcements. Creative New Zealand has increased the prize money for these awards so the prize money is in line with similar awards. Yuki Kihara has been selected as the first Pasifika artist to represent New Zealand at the 2021 Venice Biennale. We recently had the first national Pacific festival directors' fono bringing together representatives from eight festivals across New Zealand to discuss the future of Pacific festivals and what support the Government could potentially provide. Funding for Pasifika-led arts organisations is set to rise 68 percent by 2020. Creative New Zealand is also supporting paid Pacific arts internships and Pasifika artists' residencies and are working on increasing these opportunities. These initiatives—SPEAKER: Order! Order! It's getting very long.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Nearly finished.SPEAKER: Just finish quickly.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: OK. These initiatives support the Government's priority to build a better more inclusive New Zealand that we can be proud of and aligns with our focus on developing sustainable career pathways in the arts sector.Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What is special about tonight's awards ceremony?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Tonight I'm excited to be presenting the new Pacific Toa Artist Award which recognises the valuable contribution a Pasifika artist living with a disability is making to the New Zealand arts sector. This is the first time we've had a category for a Pacific artist with a disability and I'm thrilled to see this award going to Pati Umaga. Pati Umaga is an experienced adviser programme leader and change facilitator. He is a disability advocate and the former chair of the Enabling Good Lives leadership group. He played in the New Zealand band The Holidaymakers co-founded the contemporary music programme at Whitireia Polytechnic in Porirua organised a tsunami benefit concert and has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for his work in the Pacific Island community. Through this new Pacific Toa Award we can celebrate all that Pati Umaga has contributed to New Zealand and our arts scene.