Next Auckland Seminar

Topic:               Tricky choices, trade-offs and challenges in public funding for the arts.

Speaker:         John Ong, Manager of Arts Investments, Creative New Zealand

Date:                Wednesday 29^h May 2013

Venue:             PwC, PwC Tower, Level 22, 188 Quay St, Auckland

Time:               5.15 pm for 5.30 pm start, followed by refreshments

RSVP:              email:  kate@covec.co.nz or phone: (09) 916 1970

Tricky choices, trade-offs and challenges in public funding for the arts.

Globally, governments collectively spend billions on funding the arts. In New Zealand, the sums are much more modest, but the issues involved are similarly appealing to the economists and lawyers among us. At the heart of these choices and trade-offs is the challenge of doing something objective or definitive – allocating resources – in a world that is, seemingly, rather subjective. The presenter, a relative newcomer to public arts funding, will attempt to navigate how different models for funding or risk sharing attempt to deliver on policy rationales for public arts funding and the challenges of making sure public money is well spent.

Speaker: 

John Ong is the Manager of Arts Investments at Creative New Zealand, the national arts development and funding agency. John leads the management, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of Creative New Zealand’s programmes to invest in arts ‘infrastructure’ or organisations (such as festivals, theatre companies, operas, orchestras and galleries). The programmes invest around $23 million per year in around 80 organisations nationally. John studied law and economics at the University of Otago and was admitted to the Bar in 2005. His professional background includes working in public policy, as a management consultant, and as a television writer/filmmaker.

 There will be time for questions and debate after the presentation.