Creative Communities

All groups and individuals involved in local arts and cultural projects can apply. By 'arts' we mean any creative practice relating to language, literature, performing arts and visual arts.

To receive funding, your project must meet at least one of these three funding criteria:

• encourage participation – opportunities for local communities to engage with, and participate in, local arts activities
• support diversity –  supports diverse artistic cultural traditions of local communities
• enable young people – enable young people (under 18 years) to participate in the arts.

Learn more about the scheme and funding criteria by visiting Creative New Zealand.

The Creative Communities Scheme will fund:

• materials for arts activities or programmes
• venue or equipment hire
• personnel and administrative costs for short-term projects
• promotion and publicity of arts activities.

Specific costs that can’t be funded:

• ongoing administration and service costs (such as salaries) that aren’t related to a specific project
• travel for individuals or groups to attend events, presentations or shows outside the local area
• buying capital items or equipment, such as cameras, computers, instruments, costumes, lights or uniforms
• the costs of running fundraising activities > entry fees for competitions, contests and exams
• prize money, awards and judges’ fees for competitions
• payment of royalties
• the paying off of accumulated debt or debt servicing
• buying existing artworks for collections held by, for example, councils, museums, galleries, community groups or individuals
• projects without an arts focus
• a film-festivals presenting movies made outside of the funding area
• Fundraising activities (eg benefit concerts raising funding for capital equipment)
• Projects within the scope of other organisations (eg art classes in school or educational organisations that are part of their core business, or projects that mainly deliver outcomes for other sectors, eg health, heritage or the environment
• Council projects
• Facilities (including projects to upgrade galleries, marae and other venues)

Most successful Creative Communities Scheme applications are for $2000 or less. The Far North District Council receives funding each year from Creative New Zealand based on our population. In 2016, the Far North District was allocated $45,000 by Creative New Zealand. If you want to apply for more than $2,500, contact Creative New Zealand directly on (03) 366 2072 to ask about contestable funding.

First, read the application guide.

• You can now apply for this funding online - follow this link.
• If you are unable to complete the online application, you can still print out and complete the application form.
• Provide all the information requested - incomplete applications will not be processed.
• If you need help with your application contact us by calling 0800 920 029 and ask to speak to the Funding Advisor.

Talk with the Funding Advisor at the Council, or a member of the Assessment Committee (contact details at the bottom of this page) and then .

If you email your application and do not receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days, please call 09 401 5775 to confirm it has been received.

The meeting dates for the 2025 calendar year are as follows:

When you apply online, it will show a different closing date - this is a system default for applications in each financial year.  The dates above are the confirmed closing dates for each  funding round.

Please note that funding granted at the meeting in December 2025 will be paid in January 2026.

Meeting dates are set at the last meeting each calendar year.

If you receive funding, you must complete a project report when your project finishes. This details what the funding was spent on. If don’t complete a report, you may be asked to return the funding and will be ineligible to apply for funding from Council for three years.

If you have applied online, you should receive a link to complete the Project Report form online, but if you don't receive this link or have not applied online, you can print the Project Report form.

Decisions on funding are made by the Creative New Zealand Allocation Subcommittee which is made up of:

• Representatives of Community Arts Councils
• Community representatives
• Council representative

Applicants are advised of the outcome shortly after the funding round.

Assessment committee contacts

North Hokianga CAC
c/- Wally Hicks
Ph. 021 051 4294
wallyhicks56@gmail.com

Community Representative
c/ - Nopera Pikari
nopera.pikari@gmail.com

Community Representative Eljon Fitzgerald
eljon.fitzgerald@gmail.com

Community Representative Melanie Chandler-Winters
melanie@creativenorthland.com

Community Representative Ann Winship
annwinship.nz@gmail.com

Community Representative Medina Koni
022 024 0365

Councillor Tamati Rakena is the elected representative appointed by Council to this Board.

Are you passionate about the Arts - and about Governance?

If you want to know more about being a committee member, you can contact any of the current committee members or email funding@fndc.govt.nz.  If you would like to apply to be a committee member, please fill in this application form and send it to funding@fndc.govt.nz for consideration by the current committee - applications to join will be considered at the next available meeting.