On 18 October at 11:37 AM, the cave-dwelling social media minions of the ACT party tweeted the following:

“We're not sure that Creative NZ has picked up that this Government isn’t keen on taxpayers' money being spent on hateful and racist vitriol. After awarding Tusiata Avia $60,000 last year, this week she received $25,000 for the Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Arts Pasifika Awards 2024.  

"The Government is moving into another budget cycle and will be looking to make spending cuts at low-value departments. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗭 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲.”

Dear reader, that is a threat. A palpable threat. The last sentence was in bold in the tweet because they pay alms to Elon for the privilege.  

They’ve been saying this since December 2023, but now we’ve seen how effectively they wag the dog of this government – and the bold means business.

If your piss isn’t boiling, it should be.

It will be remembered that ACT’s vitriolic bullying of celebrated Aotearoa poet and performer Tusiata Avia was spawned by the success and critical acclaim of her one woman stage play The Savage Coloniser, based on her book of the same name.

With the modest cough of the minor prophet, back in March I raised my concerns that ACT, having campaigned on the promise that "Creative NZ will not fund projects which promote or glorify violence or racism,” which, from their many targeted attacks on Tusiata Avia and endless disingenuous race baiting over Te Tiriti, can only be concluded to mean “brown people having opinions.”

Of course, ACT is entitled to have opinions about art and culture, the same as anyone else in New Zealand - but this is particularly rich from a party that positions itself as defenders of free speech (of the “for me, but not for thee” variety, especially if you’re woke or brown and angrily critical of the legacy of colonialism).

Jokes about degenerate art aside, ACT knows it can’t directly influence the projects CNZ chooses to reward or contestably fund. CNZ’s independence is enshrined in the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 2014. This is binding on the Crown:

“8. Restriction on ministerial direction 
The Minister may not give a direction to the Arts Council in relation to cultural matters.

9. Powers 
(1) Without limiting sections 16 and 17 of the Crown Entities Act 2004, the Arts Council has power— 
(a) to establish any endowments or create any trusts on any terms and conditions, and for any objects within the purposes of this Act, that the Arts Council thinks fit; and 
(b) to appoint trustees in respect of any of those endowments or trusts. 
(2) Trustees appointed in respect of a trust must keep accounts in a manner that will enable the Arts Council to fulfil its obligations under section 154 of the Crown Entities Act 2004.”

The threats ACT are making – and to be clear, there is zero evidence of support from National as yet – is to attack our independent arts funding body through its budget. 

As if calling it a “low-value department” wasn’t offensive enough.

CNZ doesn’t need loose talk like this from a member of the governing coalition. Thanks to COVID, their limited resources are already under considerable pressure and the government has already gone through the public sector budget like Jason Vorhees through a camp full of teenagers.

Fortunately most of CNZ’s money for grants, such as it is, comes from the New Zealand Lottery Grant Board and not government. The operations budget, on the other hand, is potentially vulnerable to such intimidation.

There were some wonderful tweets in response:

New Zealand theatrical doyenne and national icon Ginette McDonald (@McDonaldGinette) retorted: “Tusiata’s internationally celebrated play The Savage Coloniser was a polished, thought provoking and highly entertaining piece of Samoan culture enjoyed by full houses of well-heeled Pakeha and proud Pasifika. Act don’t do Art. Or 93% of our votes. Racists sit down.”

In Christchurch, The Press senior journalist and arts reporter Philip Matthews (@secondzeit) wryly observed: “We have a coalition partner that is so upset by one poem, it wants to defund the entire arts sector.”

Synthpop impresario Luke Rowell (@disasteradio) quipped: “You're still afraid of a poem I see.”

Wellington writer, broadcaster and DJ, Martin Pepperell (@martynpepperell) served, “I guess it's freedom of speech as long as you don't say too much. The party of hypocrites and contradictions.”

Approached by The Big Idea, Paul Goldsmith, National’s Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, responded:

“Creative New Zealand is independent and operates at arm’s length to the Government.

“In a free society, the creative sector will often say things that are uncomfortable.

“Our expectation, when it comes to the funding of projects that have a political nature, is that over time entities can demonstrate they are balanced and even-handed.”

The final sentence seems somewhat ambiguous, but at least the message seems positive, even though I would dearly love to see National as the senior party of the Coalition, yank on ACT’s collar, pull them back into line, and remind them that this is a liberal democracy that values culture.

Creative NZ were approached but have declined to comment on this occasion.