The final Asian Artists’ Fund

This week it was announced that the Asian Artists’ Fund is back for the year and soon open to applications. But amongst the good news and details was a thorn. This will be the last time that the fund is offered in its current form. 

The fund was established in 2022, to address funding inequalities for artists of Asian descent in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Tokerau. A closely linked piece of research, Enter the Multiverse, on Asian artists in Auckland was published that same year. It found that while increasing numbers of Asian arts practitioners developing rich, nuanced work as the Asian population grew in number and diversity in the city, little was happening to understand or serve this rapidly growing part of the sector. As usual there’s many organisations and people linked to both the fund and research, but Rosabel Tan, the researcher, strategist, and producer behind many great things in the arts including Satellites, a platform for supporting, connecting, programming, and archiving Asian art in Aotearoa, is the author of the research. She wrote that Asian art in Auckland was “a fragmented sector, still in its infancy, at risk of stunted growth”.

The first year proved there was huge appetite for the fund, with $1.9 million requested from a pool that was initially $300,000 and then increased to $430,000 after the high calibre and numbers of applications was seen. In its second iteration the Asian Artists’ Fund (AAF) was shaped around three strategic pillars that emerged from Enter the Multiverse. Firstly that mid-career practitioners need to be supported, secondly that early-career practitioners need culturally safe opportunities to build capability, and thirdly that Asian diaspora artists need access to opportunities and resources to develop a distinctive voice here. These have remained at the heart of the fund since. Last year Satellites was invited to take on the design and administration of the fund more independently. “It meant that we could be more imaginative and responsive,” says Rosabel. A range of different streams and new residency opportunities were offered after consultation with artists.

The fund has quickly become an important part of the landscape, funding nearly 100 projects, residencies, and mentorship and development opportunities so far. Praise has been common, both for its “extraordinary outcomes” and for its design and participatory grant-making principles. The pool has grown over the years, hitting $700,000 for 2026, and yet it hasn’t been able to keep pace with increasing demand. The money is co-invested from Foundation North, Creative NZ and Auckland Council.

The research states that focused investment is critical over the next ten years to ensure that this part of the sector isn’t stunted and fragmented further. So why is the fund, a tangible, successful outcome of this research, ending in just five?

When asked why it has decided to no longer fund the AAF, Creative New Zealand provided a statement explaining that from the second half of next year, it is “looking to partner with regional providers to support arts funding and arts development within their own communities.” The new operating model, which came to light in May, will devolve funding decision-making to up to 16 independent regional organisations, is still being developed, and there are no clear models, structures, and processes that regional partners will follow. One wonders if initiatives like the AAF will even fit the parameters of new funding streams, or if they would be seen as a kind of double-handling, i.e. one funder funding another funder. Will regional partners set up systems that account for inequities and work for the many communities in their region, and who, if anyone, will be responsible for making sure minoritised parts of the sector are served?

CNZ's statement finishes with: “While we will no longer contribute in the same way we have previously, we remain committed to recognising the cultural diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand and the arts of its diverse communities. We look forward to working with our future regional partners on this and other potential initiatives.”

Rosabel says her greatest highlight has been “working alongside so many artists I deeply admire to build something that is truly in service to our collective aspirations for the sector.” She is speaking to me from Toronto, where she is producing Body Story, a debut solo dance work by Xin Ji, who was a recipient of a AAF Creative Fellowship in 2025. For Ji, the fellowship was pivotal, providing “time, space, and trust to dream more deeply inside my practice”. He seems to have climbed from strength to strength, and project to project since. 

More work has been made and more artists have been supported because of the fund, but Rosabel’s not sure how much of that shift has been structural, or what will happen now that the fund has ended. While there isn’t plans to replace the fund with another, there are “always aspirations,” and Satellites, which has always been about supporting the development of Aotearoa Asian artists, stands strong. 

Rosabel notes there’s been an exodus of mid-career and senior practitioners of Asian heritage, particularly in the performance sector, over the past couple of years. “It’s just more feasible to build a career elsewhere," she says, "and so many people hit a wall, or, perhaps more accurately, a ceiling”. This is also true of non-Asian artists, but because the Asian arts community is small “it feels so much more pronounced” she says, and “you end up losing a certain kind of momentum – the kind that can only really be built through artistic abundance.”

If you’re an artist of Asian descent in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Tokerau, it’s your last chance to apply for this fund. Applications open 18 August and close 17 September. There’s support sessions including a budget workshop and two info sessions in late August, and more information here.

Whangārei submits EOI to become UNESCO Creative City of Craft & Folk Art

After numerous consultation sessions, and hundreds of people sharing thoughts through a community survey, Creative Northland, Whangārei District Council, and Northland NZ officially submitted Whangārei's Expression of Interest to UNESCO last Friday. Creative Northland says that for Whangārei and Tai Tokerau, the designation would recognise and celebrate the creativity there – storytelling, traditions and cultural heritage, and showcase the region's rich creative identity, Ngā Toi, traditional knowledge and creative industries to the world.

There is competition, with Nelson also pursuing the Craft and Folk Art designation. One city will be chosen by the New Zealand Unesco National Commission in late 2026, with that city continuing the process.

St James Theatre tower to be visible after 70 years

The St James tower is one of three that historically defined the Aotea Arts Quarter. The other two, at the Town Hall and the Civic Theatre, have remained visible. The St James tower was encased behind modern metal sheeting, panels and neon signage in 1953, during renovations undertaken for the royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the then Duke of Edinburgh. The decision at the time was to project a sleek, postwar modern image. The theatre's original Spanish Mission facade and ornate pinnacled tower, designed by architect Henry Eli White when the St James opened on 5 July 1928, were boxed in and have remained hidden, until now. 

As part of the St James Theatre Restoration Project (which incredibly remains on track and on budget) the tower has been revealed, if only until September. As part of the Queen Street revitalisation, a refreshed hoarding and support system will be installed in time for the opening of Te Waihorotiu / Aotea CRL Station on 13 September.

Masterworks Gallery Celebrates 40 Years

Masterworks has specialised in contemporary craft/mahi toi from Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad for 40 years, and are beginning the next decade in new premises, 4 / 2 Canada Street Street, just off K’ Rd in the Auckland CBD. The celebratory exhibition, on now, presents ceramics, glass, bronze, and textile works by 40 artists, plus 40 commissioned pins from jewellery artists.

Leading wāhine Māori artists to open The Lightship's new programme

The Lightship, a 110-metre-long, 13-metre-high digital light wall at the Port of Auckland, is launching a new year-long curatorial programme, First Light, on 1 September. It features six new commissions curated by Simon Bowerbank, who says “what makes The Lightship so unique is that artists never truly know how their work will appear until it comes to life across thousands of LEDs… There's something special about that sense of discovery, both for the artists and for audiences experiencing the work.” Three artists have been announced – Ashleigh Taupaki, Ana Iti and Nova Paul will each have works on the ship every night from dusk until dawn for two months. Julie Wagener, from Port of Auckland, says “the Lightship has transformed working port infrastructure into a platform for ambitious contemporary public art, creating a place where art, industry and public life come together on Auckland's waterfront.”

Dr Majella Cullinane receives the Luna Foundation Writer’s Residency

Majella Cullinane is an accomplished author and academic. She writes poetry, fiction, and essays, and has held residencies and fellowships here and overseas, and published numerous books. Majella lives in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, with her family. Her upcoming book Shadows Fall Behind is a collection of memoir essays exploring her experience with ovarian cancer, and investigating stories of other New Zealand women diagnosed. The residency allows Cullinane to spend two weeks in Hawke’s Bay and receive a stipend of $3,500. It was created by the Luna Foundation, a female-led, family-run charitable organisation that supports women in the areas of education, health and wellbeing, and arts and culture.

The Arts Foundation's Icon Whakamana Hiranga honours revealed

Glass sculptor Ann Robinson, painter and sculptor Darcy Nicholas, The Topp Twins, and Witi Ihimaera Smiler have received the Arts Foundation's highest honour, Icon Whakamana Hiranga awards, that recognising artists whose lifetime contribution has had a profound impact on arts and culture in Aotearoa.

Identity Dance Company wins at World Hip Hop Dance Championship

Auckland-based IDCO is celebrating a historic victory – its premier men’s crew Swagganauts claimed the Gold Medal and World Championship title in the Varsity Division at the 2026 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. They competed against more than 3,000 dancers from over 300 crews from 55 countries.

Adding to the celebrations, IDCO's mega crew Yung ID earned the Silver Medal in the JV MegaCrew Division. The results mark a remarkable return to the competition following a two-year hiatus. “These results are an incredible reflection of the commitment, resilience and work ethic of our dancers,” say  directors Josh Cesan and Codie Jai Wescombe. “These dancers are elite athletes.” The dancers train year-round, balancing school, work and family commitments alongside extensive rehearsal schedules, strength and conditioning programmes, travel demands and performance preparation. 

Sonya Korohina to step down from Toi Tauranga Art Gallery directorship

“I achieved everything I set out to,” says Sonya Korohina. “Now, as the city’s Te Manawataki o Te Papa cultural precinct development progresses, it is the perfect time to bring fresh thinking and energy into the role.” Korohina led a transformative period including the award-winning redevelopment, and the establishment of Te Kāhu o Hinewa, the gallery's Māori Advisory Group. She will step down at the end of October. This marks the end of her nine years with the gallery, in consulting, board and most recently the Director role.

Tech entrepreneur Guy Horrocks joins Arts Council board

A technology entrepreneur, director, startup advisor and practising artist, with more than 20 years’ experience building digital businesses in NZ and the US, is the latest appointment to the Arts Council board, announced on Tuesday. Horrocks was an early pioneer of the mobile app industry and brings expertise in digital innovation, AI and emerging technologies. He is also on the NZME Board and invests in various companies like Maude, Raaka Chocolate, and Butler Bakeshops. Horrocks paints and draws detailed, realistic landscapes and people, and seems to be based in New York the majority of the year.

The impacts of AOG funding decisions are still coming out of the woodwork. On Friday, Erin Harrington dug into the fact that South Island orgs received less than 10% of the funding offered in the highest tiers.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival began last week. It looms large in the dreams and paths of our performing artists, but is ludicrously expensive. Elliot Ferguson asks if the costly gamble is still worth it.

Sometimes the best collaborators seem unlikely at first. Flyleaf Theatre Company proved this by asking a mechatronics engineer to help design their latest set. Talia Pua reports on how they made a leaking structure work safely.

Charlotte Bell didn't recognise her creativity until she started a catering business in her early twenties, and now has a debut book. Find out more in her Shameless Plug.

Hello and welcome to the end! I always welcome feedback and story ideas at: editor@thebigidea.co.nz