If you're part of the creative community, making a living from your creative practice - or just aspire to - in Tāmaki Makaurau, your future is in jeopardy.

That future will be decided without you if you don't have your say.

The submission window for feedback on Auckland Council's proposed budget cuts for 2023/24 closes at 11pm on Tuesday 28 March. 

As is stands, $35.6 million worth of funding is set to be pulled out from under the arts and culture sector.

After all the trials and tribulations of the last few years, this is likely to alter creative careers and practices permanently. Either as the straw that breaks the camel's back, forcing artists and businesses to abandon their dreams or removing the gateways that propel the next generation to chase theirs. 

When funding is cut, it's hard to get back.  

Even if you don't live in Auckland - it would be unfathomable for New Zealand's largest city to see its creative heartbeat fade.

So far, the bulk of the feedback has come from the over 45s. Young artists have fought and demanded a voice, a seat at the table. Opportunities like this must be seized to make a difference.

If the submissions don't illustrate the need and desire for arts and culture to retain its funding, then for many, their fate is sealed.

Here is the submission form - open until 11pm 28 March.  The creative community in Auckland has come together to make a stand and needs every single voice they can manage. 

Below is a letter sent by a group made up of some of Tāmaki Makaurau's most passionate creative organisations (with support from others around Aotearoa).

Speak up for the arts before it's too late.

Tēnā koutou Mayor Brown and Councillors of Tāmaki Makaurau,

In solidarity with arts organisations, venues, companies, collectives, and artists across the region, we write to you to ensure that the voices of our artists, local communities and audiences are heard in the ongoing consultation of the Auckland Council Annual Budget of 2023/2024.

We know that arts are part of the fabric that binds our communities together. They unite, they bring purpose, they tell our stories, and they represent the value of the city and what we can create together. Even just recently, events like Polyfest, Te Matatini, Pasifika Festival, Auckland Pride - not to mention the hundreds of events happening otherwise - demonstrate the immense value added to our collective culture: bringing people together, and even enabling the moving of pūtea for our hospitality, accommodation, and tourism sectors.

We’re calling for you to reconsider the balance sheet for the Annual Budget. Cutting local board community grants, programmes for regional events, and social services available to our artists and audiences creates conditions where artists lose incomes. This isn’t a necessity and will undermine the conditions for artists to create, survive and live in this wonderful city.

Rather, we ask Auckland Council to consider the submission of A Better Budget For Auckland, which describes a variety of other ways the books can be balanced: increasing borrowing, the existing proposed rates increase, unfreezing the Water Quality Targeted Rate and the Natural Environment Targeted Rate, possible further rates increases or new targeted rates, and requesting further support from central government in the context of the recent floods and cyclone are all still on the table.

Our sector has had it hard the last few years, and we recognise this is a lived experience for many across Tāmaki Makaurau with the budget needing to take into consideration much-needed resourcing across the city.

And yet, we know that you can choose to prioritise the liveability of the city, the value of our arts and culture rōpū, and the impact we have on making this city the best it can be.

Support our sector.

Noho ora mai,

Co-authors
Basement Theatre 
Artspace Aotearoa 
Objectspace
Silo Theatre
Corbans Arts Estate Centre Te Pou Theatre
Whammy Bar

Signatories
Youth Arts New Zealand
Massive Theatre Company
PANNZ (Performing Arts Network NZ)
D.A.M.N
The New Zealand Dance Company
Q Theatre Ltd
Te Uru
Musical Theatre New Zealand
Te Whare Roto o Toi - Lake House Arts
Ngā Rangatahi Toa
Indian Ink Theatre Company
NIGHTSONG
Experimental Dance Week
New Zealand Dance Festival Trust/Tempo
Auckland Pride
Auckland Chamber Orchestra
New Zealand Writers Guild | Puni Taatuhi o Aotearoa
Vunilagi Vou
Whau the people
Proudly Asian Theatre
Red Leap Theatre
SquareSums&Co. Ltd
The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi
Arts Makers Aotearoa
Auckland Writers Festival
Audio Foundation
The New Zealand Comedy Trust | Producers of the NZ International Comedy Festival 
Taurima Vibes
The Hollywood Avondale
DEPOT
Gus Fisher Gallery
Black Creatives Aotearoa
Prayas Theatre NZ