“I’m sorry to let you know that your funding application for Arts Grants 2023/24 Round 1 has been unsuccessful.”
We all know the feeling, many accutely so after Wednesday 13 December, when applicants were notified of their results in latest round of CNZ’s Arts Grants. It was the largest round on record, with 846 applications received and 193 funded.The caps that had restricted the number of applicants since 2021 had been removed after widespread frustration and criticism from the sector. It was also the final round of funding to be assessed according to the current system. Following consultation, CNZ proposed in early November an overhaul to their funding model, conceived to better account for the distinction between individuals and organisations, early-career and established artists, and to support artists to take risks, be flexible and prioritise development in their practices.
Of all the notable trends and tendencies within the data, the most plain remains just how oversubscribed (and under resourced) the funding body is.
Below, we break down the allocation of funds across the eleven recognised disciplines, the three funds and the five artistic outcomes. We also spoke to our peers who had been unsuccessful, some of whom shared their assessors’ comments, providing valuable behind-the-scenes insights into the decision making processes.
Theatre received strong support, receiving 21.9% of the total funds allocated. Many of these projects were seeking funding toward development and rehearsals for new, original shows, with some funds going toward presentation costs, too. It’s a welcome boost for the sector, who struggled significantly through the pandemic due to restrictions on public gathering.
Support for the visual arts, music and literature was relatively even, with each seeing 25–26 projects funded. Literature-based projects received the lowest value of contributions on average of all the disciplines, at $30,452.80. The number of successful multi-disciplinary projects leapt from only four in the last round to eighteen this time around.
Customary Māori Arts and Pacific Heritage Arts both only received a small portion of the total funding, but funded projects received generous investments, with two of the highest average contribution values, at $47,841.50 and $48,570 respectively. This also does not include all toi Māori and Pacific art funded within the round, with many practitioners receiving support for contemporary projects through the Ngā Toi Māori and Pacific Arts Funds.
CNZ also highlighted the support for projects catering to the hearing-impaired and disability communities, with nine such initiatives receiving funding.
Of the five stated artistic outcomes, this round’s assessors favoured Development, which received almost half of the total funding. Including research, rehearsal, production and presentation, the category represents a significant (and costly) chunk of the artistic process, with an emphasis on practitioners, as opposed to the Experience, Participation and International Success outcomes, which emphasise audiences and reception. Curiously, yet consistent with previous rounds, Resilience got the smallest slice of the pie, suggesting an investment in projects over infrastructure. Some shifts could be expected here with the proposed new model, the objective of which, CNZ states, is to shift “from a focus on investing in projects to investing in people.” It is also important to note that outcomes are nominated by applicants, and many projects fulfil several.
The spilt between the three funding pools—the General Arts fund, Ngā Toi Māori fund and Pacific Arts fund—more or less follows previous patterns, with the General fund receiving a substanital majority. The Pacific Arts Fund, however, jumped from only 8.4% in the last round to 18.2% this time.
Above is a small sample of the 193 projects that received funding. Our colleagues at ATE Journal of Māori Art received support, as well as CoCA Toi Moroki in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Pōneke Wellington’s ARI-mainstay play_station after tough years for both spaces. For these projects, and for many others who applied, funding from bodies like CNZ is vital and could not have come at a more needed time.
When we first crunched the numbers we found $293,167 unaccounted for in the listed projects. When we followed up, CNZ found that there had been a glitch, applying to applicants who had been successful in multiple projects, of which there were five in total: A Slightly Isolated Dog, Flock Charitable Trust, New Zealand Glassworks, Nightsong and Te Rehia Theatre.
It is worth noting that this round comprised two batches, which may also explain why some of the projects funded have already taken place despite the stated requirements for project start dates.
Throughout the assessors feedback that was shared with us, there were many projects that did not receive funding despite scoring strongly against CNZ’s criteria.
Another common theme was the inconsistency of assessors’ comments, with several applicants reapplying after incorporating previous feedback and advisor recommendations only to be alerted to new weaknesses by different assessors, or penalised on criteria other than those recognised by CNZ. Though the funding system is due an overhaul next year, no mention has been made of reviewing the peer assessment process.
Again, both of these issues can arguably be attributed to the disparity between available resources and the number of high-quality projects and candidates in the sector, requiring assessors to poke holes in otherwise strong applications to justify the decision making process.
Postscript: Art News Aotearoa was also unsuccessful in their funding application in this round. To support us, subscribe here.
We’ve reached out to CNZ for clarity on their process, as well as a breakdown of the number of projects that remunerated participants within their guidelines and that required in-kind support to be realised. Stay tuned for Part II of our report in early 2024.
This July, Arts Makers Aotearoa (AMA) will be launching a new service, the Artist Advice Bureau. Here, we speak to Art Aunty Claudia Jowitt, who will be hosting drop-in (or Zoom-in) sessions at Samoa House Library on Karangahape Road, offering independent advice and advocacy for artists trying to navigate the industry.
Expressions of interest are due by 15 June for the programme, based at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC).
Sally Dan-Cuthbert answers our questions ahead of her eponymous gallery's debut at the 2025 Aotearoa Art Fair, presenting works by Sabine Marcelis, Lisa Reihana and Edward Waring.
This July, Arts Makers Aotearoa (AMA) will be launching a new service, the Artist Advice Bureau. Here, we speak to Art Aunty Claudia Jowitt, who will be hosting drop-in (or Zoom-in) sessions at Samoa House Library on Karangahape Road, offering independent advice and advocacy for artists trying to navigate the industry.
With the end of its first 100 days approaching, the National Party has remained quiet on its plan for the arts. We reached out to new Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Paul Goldsmith, in an attempt to gauge what's in store.
Raukura Turei is an artist and architect based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Her practice centres whenua and the countless relationships that are embedded within it. We spoke with her ahead of her presentation at the Melbourne Art Fair.
While the 60th Venice Biennale braces for a controversial change of leadership, eight Aotearoa artists look ahead to their presentations in the Curator's International Exhibition.
Matthew Browne's abstract paintings seem to hold a moment taut through their careful composition. We spoke to the artist about the pursuit of stillness in a noisy world ahead of his upcoming presentation with Wagner Contemporary at Melbourne Art Fair.
Artists' Artists is a five-part series featuring conversations with contemporary artists Julie Rrap, Danie Mellor, Bridget Riley, Janet Laurence and Albert Yonathan Setyawan.
CNZ Wrapped
“I’m sorry to let you know that your funding application for Arts Grants 2023/24 Round 1 has been unsuccessful.”
We all know the feeling, many accutely so after Wednesday 13 December, when applicants were notified of their results in latest round of CNZ’s Arts Grants. It was the largest round on record, with 846 applications received and 193 funded. The caps that had restricted the number of applicants since 2021 had been removed after widespread frustration and criticism from the sector. It was also the final round of funding to be assessed according to the current system. Following consultation, CNZ proposed in early November an overhaul to their funding model, conceived to better account for the distinction between individuals and organisations, early-career and established artists, and to support artists to take risks, be flexible and prioritise development in their practices.
Of all the notable trends and tendencies within the data, the most plain remains just how oversubscribed (and under resourced) the funding body is.
Below, we break down the allocation of funds across the eleven recognised disciplines, the three funds and the five artistic outcomes. We also spoke to our peers who had been unsuccessful, some of whom shared their assessors’ comments, providing valuable behind-the-scenes insights into the decision making processes.
Theatre received strong support, receiving 21.9% of the total funds allocated. Many of these projects were seeking funding toward development and rehearsals for new, original shows, with some funds going toward presentation costs, too. It’s a welcome boost for the sector, who struggled significantly through the pandemic due to restrictions on public gathering.
Support for the visual arts, music and literature was relatively even, with each seeing 25–26 projects funded. Literature-based projects received the lowest value of contributions on average of all the disciplines, at $30,452.80. The number of successful multi-disciplinary projects leapt from only four in the last round to eighteen this time around.
Customary Māori Arts and Pacific Heritage Arts both only received a small portion of the total funding, but funded projects received generous investments, with two of the highest average contribution values, at $47,841.50 and $48,570 respectively. This also does not include all toi Māori and Pacific art funded within the round, with many practitioners receiving support for contemporary projects through the Ngā Toi Māori and Pacific Arts Funds.
CNZ also highlighted the support for projects catering to the hearing-impaired and disability communities, with nine such initiatives receiving funding.
Of the five stated artistic outcomes, this round’s assessors favoured Development, which received almost half of the total funding. Including research, rehearsal, production and presentation, the category represents a significant (and costly) chunk of the artistic process, with an emphasis on practitioners, as opposed to the Experience, Participation and International Success outcomes, which emphasise audiences and reception. Curiously, yet consistent with previous rounds, Resilience got the smallest slice of the pie, suggesting an investment in projects over infrastructure. Some shifts could be expected here with the proposed new model, the objective of which, CNZ states, is to shift “from a focus on investing in projects to investing in people.” It is also important to note that outcomes are nominated by applicants, and many projects fulfil several.
The spilt between the three funding pools—the General Arts fund, Ngā Toi Māori fund and Pacific Arts fund—more or less follows previous patterns, with the General fund receiving a substanital majority. The Pacific Arts Fund, however, jumped from only 8.4% in the last round to 18.2% this time.
Above is a small sample of the 193 projects that received funding. Our colleagues at ATE Journal of Māori Art received support, as well as CoCA Toi Moroki in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Pōneke Wellington’s ARI-mainstay play_station after tough years for both spaces. For these projects, and for many others who applied, funding from bodies like CNZ is vital and could not have come at a more needed time.
When we first crunched the numbers we found $293,167 unaccounted for in the listed projects. When we followed up, CNZ found that there had been a glitch, applying to applicants who had been successful in multiple projects, of which there were five in total: A Slightly Isolated Dog, Flock Charitable Trust, New Zealand Glassworks, Nightsong and Te Rehia Theatre.
It is worth noting that this round comprised two batches, which may also explain why some of the projects funded have already taken place despite the stated requirements for project start dates.
Throughout the assessors feedback that was shared with us, there were many projects that did not receive funding despite scoring strongly against CNZ’s criteria.
Another common theme was the inconsistency of assessors’ comments, with several applicants reapplying after incorporating previous feedback and advisor recommendations only to be alerted to new weaknesses by different assessors, or penalised on criteria other than those recognised by CNZ. Though the funding system is due an overhaul next year, no mention has been made of reviewing the peer assessment process.
Again, both of these issues can arguably be attributed to the disparity between available resources and the number of high-quality projects and candidates in the sector, requiring assessors to poke holes in otherwise strong applications to justify the decision making process.
Find the full list of recipients here.
Postscript: Art News Aotearoa was also unsuccessful in their funding application in this round. To support us, subscribe here.
We’ve reached out to CNZ for clarity on their process, as well as a breakdown of the number of projects that remunerated participants within their guidelines and that required in-kind support to be realised. Stay tuned for Part II of our report in early 2024.
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Yellow Post Unveiled at Brick Bay
2025 Fale-Ship Residency recipients announced
He Riri Awatea: Filming the New Zealand Wars opens at Canterbury Museum
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