Creative Communities

All groups and individuals involved in local arts and cultural projects can apply. By 'arts' we mean any creative practice relating to language, literature, performing arts and visual arts.

To receive funding, your project must meet at least one of these three funding criteria:

• encourage participation – opportunities for local communities to engage with, and participate in, local arts activities
• support diversity –  supports diverse artistic cultural traditions of local communities
• enable young people – enable young people (under 18 years) to participate in the arts.

Learn more about the scheme and funding criteria by visiting Creative New Zealand.

The Creative Communities Scheme will fund:

• materials for arts activities or programmes
• venue or equipment hire
• personnel and administrative costs for short-term projects
• promotion and publicity of arts activities.

Most successful Creative Communities Scheme applications are for $2000 or less. The Far North District Council receives funding each year from Creative New Zealand based on our population. In 2016, the Far North District was allocated $45,000 by Creative New Zealand. If you want to apply for more than $2,500, contact Creative New Zealand directly on (03) 366 2072 to ask about contestable funding.

First, read the application guide(PDF, 52KB). Talk with the Funding Advisor at the Council, or a member of the Assessment Committee (contact details at the bottom of this page) and then fill in the application form(DOC, 194KB).

If you email your application and do not receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days, please call 09 401 5775 to confirm it has been received.

The meeting dates for the 2021 calendar year are as follows:

If you receive funding you must complete a project report when your project finishes. This details what the funding was spent on. If don’t complete a report, you may be asked to return the funding and will be ineligible to apply for funding from Council for three years.

Project Report form (Word)(DOC, 171KB)
Project Report form (PDF)(PDF, 93KB)

Decisions on funding are made by the Creative New Zealand Allocation Subcommittee which is made up of:

• Representatives of Community Arts Councils
• Community representatives
• Council representative

Applicants are advised of the outcome shortly after the funding round.

Assessment committee contacts

North Hokianga CAC
c/- Wally Hicks
Ph. 021 051 4294
wallyhicks56@gmail.com

Pewhairangi BOI CAC
c/-Janet Planet
Ph. 09 403 7268
southseaart@gmail.com

Community Representative
c/ - Nopera Pikari
nopera.pikari@gmail.com

Kaikohe Community Arts Council
c/ - John Hayward

Kaitaia Community Arts Service
c/ - Lois Stather-Dunn
lois.statherdunn@gmail.com 

If you are interested in joining the committee,  please contact the committee Chair, Wally Hicks.