National has effectively white-washed the vibrant palette of New Zealand and the regions will languish once again in an arts void due to cuts to the Regional Museums funding policy, said Labour Arts, Culture and Heritage spokesperson Steve Chadwick.

National has effectively white-washed the vibrant palette of New Zealand and the regions will languish once again in an arts void due to cuts to the Regional Museums funding policy, said Labour Arts, Culture and Heritage spokesperson Steve Chadwick.

“True to form, National is sticking to ‘High Art’ and Metropolitan centres and forgetting about grassroots artists by slashing $20m from the Regional Museums Policy, established to assist regional museums and galleries that house collections of national significance”, she said.

“This is a bitter blow for those in the regions. Maori, Pasifika, youth and ethnic groups are completely overlooked and don’t even rate a mention,” Ms Chadwick said.

“The Regional Museums fund has been hugely appreciated by areas such as Taranaki with its iconic Puke Ariki, the Rotorua Museum - Te Whare Taonga o te Arawa, Auckland Gallery and the Early Settlers Museum in Dunedin.”

“Without matching funding from central government these fabulous galleries could never have been achieved. We will now see more memorials and commemorations and not galleries to house collections the public love to view,” Steve Chadwick said.

Press release: Hon. Steve Chadwick