Events in Auckland pick up the PACE!
“We are grateful for the funding because without Auckland Council support, we wouldn’t be able to offer a quality event at a venue that can cater for all the codes on offer. It enables us to ensure safety aspects are available for participants and volunteers are supported and valued as a key role in the event,” Karla Matua, Interim Manager, He Oranga Poutama ki Tāmaki Makaurau.
Auckland Council’s Parks, Events, Community and Arts (PACE) Committee recently approved 16 applications totalling $197,500 in grant allocations for the 2019/2020 Regional Event Fund.
Mayor Phil Goff says the events funded by the council help make our community an interesting and vibrant place to live.
“Arts, sporting and cultural events bring communities together and make our city a great place to be in,” he said.
Chair of the PACE Committee, Councillor Alf Filipaina, was particularly pleased with the broad scope of events approved for funding this round.
“We have taken a coordinated approach to the provision of funding for these events. Of the 16 events we have funded, eight are sports-related and eight relate to arts and culture. There is a great mix of events coming up in our city,” says Councillor Filipaina.
“Our focus for events is connecting; people to each other and to places. Funding for regional events is important to support Aucklanders to connect with each other and to their local places through a range of sporting, cultural and arts opportunities. The people of Tāmaki Makaurau are blessed with the provision of great community-led events all year, and I am pleased to say, this round of events will be no exception.”
When assessing the applications for regional event funding, consideration was given to things like the event budget, plans, organiser experience, accessibility, previous event outcomes, and whether the event connected with key Auckland occasions such as Matariki, or Auckland Anniversary weekend and whether the applicant had received significant other funding from council for the same event.
What do our recipients say about receiving funding?
Iwi of Origin
Karla Matua, Interim Manager, He Oranga Poutama ki Tāmaki Makaurau, says that receiving funding for the Iwi of Origin event means the organization is now able to host an event that brings whānau, hāpu, iwi together to represent their collective whakapapa through sport and recreation.
“The Iwi of Origin event is important because it brings Māori living in urban Auckland together to participate, celebrant and reconnect with their whakapapa and wider whanau,” says Karla Matua.
“Receiving council funding for our event allows us to collaborate with Māori sport organisations and to resource the event to a level that serves the Māori community throughout Tāmaki Makurau.”
InterACT Disability Arts Festival
Rod Will, Director of the InterACT Disability Arts Festival stressed the importance of the festival as giving recognition to the 20 per cent of the population who identify as being disabled.
"The Disability Arts Festival event is important because participants are known for what they can do, not what they can not; their skills are showcased in a way that presents them in a valuing manner, and they are further supported with hands-on opportunities and structured workshops," says Rod Will.
"If we did not receive council funding the momentum the InterACT Festival has for schools, community services and disabled people to produce artwork and develop and rehearse their performances in dance, drama and music for audiences would be lost. This funding means that Interacting Disability Theatre can continue to deliver the largest disability and community arts festival in Aotearoa, now in the tenth year at the Corban Estate Arts Centre."
A full list of regional events to receive funding this round is provided below.