TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What has the Government done to support the arts in Budget 2009?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage) : Budget 2009 has provided extra funding to artistic and cultural organisations in order to provide security in tough economic times. National is committed to ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to world-class cultural experiences. This was achieved by the injection of some new funds and the reprioritisation of poor-quality spending proposed by the previous Government; for example, the grandly named Gallipoli memorial project that in reality was a grant of over $350,000 to enable a single unnamed painter to paint a couple of landscapes. This Government is determined to ensure the arts receive value for money in tough economic times.
Todd McClay: What reports has the Minister seen about the Government’s Budget announcements?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I am very pleased to have received very grateful and supportive messages from those actively engaged in the sector who appreciate the constraints we all operate under in tough economic times. Regrettably, these contrast with reports I have seen from the Opposition spokesperson for arts, culture and heritage. She accused the Government of “slashing the regional museums budget by $20 million.” If she read the Budget carefully, she would have seen in black and white that a largely unused, one-off appropriation she and her colleagues signed off had returned to baseline.
Todd McClay: What other reports has the Minister seen of engagement with the arts, heritage, and cultural sector?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I have seen reports addressed to me as Minister from the Opposition spokesperson who is responsible for Labour’s engagement with the arts and cultural sector. In three separate requests for a briefing by officials she has repeatedly shown a complete ignorance of the name of the ministry, which she managed to get wrong in new and innovative ways every time, while also asking the chief executive of the Arts Council to brief her on the activities of the ministry. I intend to see that her briefing, which I am delighted to say will proceed, begins with the correct name of the ministry and ends with lessons on how to read Budget documents.
Hon Steve Chadwick: Why did the Minister tell the public during the election campaign that National would maintain the current level of taxpayer funding for arts, culture, and heritage, then go out and cut overall funding in the Budget; and does this not demonstrate that his word is about as good as a personal guarantee from John Key?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: No, the Government identified a number of savings to taxpayers as a result of its value-for-money review earlier this year. That allowed reprioritisation of the low-quality junk spending that that lot preferred. We want to concentrate on practical assistance to front-line arts and cultural services. When the member receives her briefing and learns the correct name of the ministry, she will learn a lot more about that.
Todd McClay: What reports has the Minister seen about the Government’s Budget announcements?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I am very pleased to have received very grateful and supportive messages from those actively engaged in the sector who appreciate the constraints we all operate under in tough economic times. Regrettably, these contrast with reports I have seen from the Opposition spokesperson for arts, culture and heritage. She accused the Government of “slashing the regional museums budget by $20 million.” If she read the Budget carefully, she would have seen in black and white that a largely unused, one-off appropriation she and her colleagues signed off had returned to baseline.
Todd McClay: What other reports has the Minister seen of engagement with the arts, heritage, and cultural sector?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I have seen reports addressed to me as Minister from the Opposition spokesperson who is responsible for Labour’s engagement with the arts and cultural sector. In three separate requests for a briefing by officials she has repeatedly shown a complete ignorance of the name of the ministry, which she managed to get wrong in new and innovative ways every time, while also asking the chief executive of the Arts Council to brief her on the activities of the ministry. I intend to see that her briefing, which I am delighted to say will proceed, begins with the correct name of the ministry and ends with lessons on how to read Budget documents.
Hon Steve Chadwick: Why did the Minister tell the public during the election campaign that National would maintain the current level of taxpayer funding for arts, culture, and heritage, then go out and cut overall funding in the Budget; and does this not demonstrate that his word is about as good as a personal guarantee from John Key?
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: No, the Government identified a number of savings to taxpayers as a result of its value-for-money review earlier this year. That allowed reprioritisation of the low-quality junk spending that that lot preferred. We want to concentrate on practical assistance to front-line arts and cultural services. When the member receives her briefing and learns the correct name of the ministry, she will learn a lot more about that.
