March 18, 2014

Christopher Finlayson 

18 March, 2014 

New Arts Council members appointed  

Thirteen inaugural members have been appointed to the new Arts Council, established by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 2014, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson announced today. 

“I am delighted with the calibre of the members who have made themselves available for the new Arts Council,” Mr Finlayson said. “The new Council has a good balance between members of the previous entities and new blood. It also has a wide representation which reflects the diversity and breadth of the arts in New Zealand.”

The new Arts Council commences on 1 May 2014 and replaces three statutory boards and a statutory committee under previous legislation. The Arts Council will continue to operate under the name Creative New Zealand.

The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 2014 Act streamlines the governance of Creative New Zealand. The Act addresses the previous overly complex structure consisting of four governing boards with 28 members, and replaces it with a single governance body with 13 members.

The single Arts Council will be responsible for policy, strategy and funding allocation, replacing the previous division of responsibilities between the Arts Council, the Arts Board, Te Waka Toi and the Pacific Arts Committee.

The new Arts Council must have a minimum of four members with knowledge of Māori Arts, tea o Māori (a Māori world view) and tikanga Māori (Māori protocol and culture). These members are appointed by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage in consultation with the Minister of Māori Affairs.

Two members are appointed with knowledge of the arts, and the traditions or cultures, of the Pacific Island peoples of New Zealand, in consultation with the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs.

The members of the new Arts Council are:

Dr Richard Grant is the chair of the outgoing Council and will chair the new body. He had a distinguished diplomatic career of more than 40 years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and was Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He has been a member of the Arts Council since 2012.

Suzanne Ellison (Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki) is an iwi manager and researcher for arts and cultural heritage projects with a particular knowledge of Kai Tahu/Te Wai Pounamu networks. She chairs the Ngai Tahu Fund and was a senior manager with Ngai Tahu Development Corporation for more than 10 years. She has been a board member of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.

Rose Evans (Te Atiawa)has 20 years heritage and conservation experience with major museums, galleries, private collectors and corporate clients, including Auckland Council and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. She is a former trustee of Te Maori Manaaki Taonga Trust and a board member of the Michael King Writers’ Centre.

Karyn Fenton-Ellis had over 15 years’ experience implementinga range of arts sponsorships as a senior executive for Tower Ltd. She has served as a National Trustee for the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and as a board member of the Christchurch Arts Festival.

Darrin Haimona (Ngati Haua)is the outgoing chair of Te Waka Toi, the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand. He is chief Executive of Te Hauora O Ngati Haua Trust, and has set up and run a local iwi arts management plan in Waikato.

Grant Kerr is a consultant specialising in commercial property investments and business acquisitions. He was a senior partner of New Plymouth law firm Reeves Middleton Young for seven years. He was co-founder and chairperson of the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust.

Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, QSOis the outgoing Chair of the Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand. She is Assistant Vice Chancellor (Pasifika) at Victoria University. This follows a Parliamentary career in which she held positions as the Member of Parliament for Mana, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and Associate Minister of Social Development, Economic Development, and Trade.

Peter-Lucas Kaaka Jones is General Manager of Te Hiku Media, Kaitaia and a board member and Treaty Settlement negotiator with Te Rūnanga Nui O Te Aupōuri, Te Aupōuri Iwi Development Trust. He was executive secretary/adviser for Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board, and Board Secretary/Executive Assistant to CEO of the Māori Language Commission.

Wayne Marriott is Manager, Culture & Heritage for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Director of Te Waipounamu Museums, a cultural heritage and cultural business consultancy. He was Manager, Arts & Culture at the Whakatane District Council, and led the redevelopment of Te Koputu o te Whanaga a Toi (Whakatane) and the Town Acre 445 redevelopment of the Nelson Provincial Museum. He recently completed a contract with Tuhoe Uru Tamatea on the development of their Library, Archives and Heritage space within Te Wharehou o Tuhoe. 

Michael Prentice is an outgoing member of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand. He is Managing Director of the Christchurch office of Designworks, New Zealand’s largest strategic design consultancy. He was Planning Director for Ogilvy New Zealand and has developed the brand and advertising strategies of many high-profile brands. He founded and chaired the trust board of contemporary dance company Black Grace, and is a former director of Auckland’s performing arts facilities organisation The Edge.

Felicity Price was chair of the Court Theatre for seven years, and has also recently chaired the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and The Press Christchurch Writers’ Festival. She is the author of seven published works of fiction and three of non-fiction.

Caren Rangi is of Cook Islands Māori descent, and is an outgoing member of the Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand. She is an experienced public sector governance practitioner, and a qualified accountant and auditor who owns and operates Ei Mua Consulting Ltd. She is a board member for NZ On Air (the Broadcasting Commission) and the Charities Registration Board. She was a founding board member of the National Pacific Radio Trust.

James Wallace is a former member of the Arts Council of Creative New Zealand. He was previously a member of the QE2 Arts Council for four years, and was a board member of Arts Access Aotearoa and Arts on Tour NZ. He is a practising lawyer who has been involved in arts development at a local community level through arts festivals, community arts councils, music, theatre and gallery groups.