Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni today announced the details of the first round of the Cultural Sector Innovation Fund, which includes a new approach to supporting bold ideas.

The Innovation Fund will be delivered through a nationwide series of events called Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa. This will be a rolling programme of events which will take place in regions across the motu.

"As part of the Government’s $374 million Arts and Culture COVID Recovery Programme, this Innovation Fund will support innovative arts, culture and heritage projects in Aotearoa," Carmel Sepuloni said. "The Fund also further supports the sector to adapt and thrive."

"Fittingly for a fund focused on innovation, I’m excited that Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa, provides us with an opportunity to take a different approach to its delivery - one that’s designed to support collaboration.

"I hear a lot of creative ideas from people who are passionate about arts, culture and heritage. This funding aims to bring those ideas to fruition, and comes with an opportunity for the sector to be bold.

"It provides support for the sector to work alongside others to collectively design more sustainable, resilient ways of working, and to remove barriers to access and participation for everyone.

"Over two and a half days participants in Te Urungi will be supported by mentors and experts to collaborate and develop their ideas. At the end of each event, the most promising projects will receive funding to support their further development.

"There is also a focus on supporting projects that will help safeguard mātauranga Māori while nurturing the innovation potential of this rich system of indigenous knowledge.

"The ambition with Te Urungi is to nurture an ongoing, collaborative ecosystem dedicated to exploring innovative solutions around arts, culture and heritage for the duration of this Fund and beyond," Carmel Sepuloni said.

The name of the events programme, Te Urungi, references the steering paddle of the waka hourua. This paddle guides these ocean-going waka, driving them towards their destination with stability and agility. An apt metaphor for our collective innovation journey.

Registrations are open to teams and individuals who work in arts, culture and heritage, as well as communities, the tech sector, entrepreneurs and others.

We want to hear from anyone who has an idea for an innovative project with the potential to increase sustainability, access and participation or commercial opportunities within the sector.

Face-to-face Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa events will be held around the country, beginning in Te Whanganui-a-Tara the Wellington region on 30 April-2 May. There will also be online events, the first is scheduled for 12 May. Details of further events will be announced as they are confirmed.

You can watch the Launch Video for Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa by clicking here.

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Te whakauka i te ao toi, te ahurea me ngā taonga.

Nā te Minita Manatū Taonga, a Carmel Sepuloni ngā kōrero i tuku i tēnei rangi mō te wāhanga tuatahi o te tononga pūtea Hinonga Toi, tētahi tahua pūtea hei tautoko i ngā whakaaro taikaha o te ao toi.

Ko te hōtaka hinonga nei e tukua atu ana mā ētahi hui kua tapaina ki te ingoa, Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa, e horapa haere ana puta noa i ngā takiwā o te motu.

"Ka tika hoki mā Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa e whai wāhi ai tatou kia whakarerekē i ngā āhuatanga o te tuku pūtea - mā tētahi ara tautoko, ara mahi ngātahi hoki."

"Ko tētahi wāhanga o te pūtea $374M, te Hōtaka Ora i te Mate Korona a te Kāwanatanga he tautoko i ngā hinonga mahi i ngā toi, te ahurea me ngā taonga i Aotearoa" tā Carmel Sepuloni. "Ka tautokohia tēnei kaupapa i te hapori toi kia panoni, kia ora hoki.

"Kei te rongo au i ngā whakaaro auaha e puta ana i ngā tangata e hīkaka ana ki ngā mahi toi, te ahurea me ngā taonga. Mā tēnei pūtea e whai hua mai ai ērā whakaaro me te manawaroa hoki."

"Mā tēnei tahua pūtea hoki e tautoko ngā rōpū ki te mahi tahi ki te whakarite i ngā ratonga toitū me te turaki i ngā tauārai ki ngā wāhi mahi mō te katoa.

"Ko Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa tētahi kaupapa tōai e tū ana i ngā rohe puta noa i te motu."

"I ngā rā e rua me te haurua o te hui ka tautokohia ngā kaiuru a Te Urungi, ngā kaihāpai me ngā mātanga ki te wherawhera i ō rātou whakaaro. Hei te mutunga o ia hui, ka tukuna atu ngā pūtea me ngā ratonga tautoko ki ngā hinonga whakaihu waka."

"Kei te tautoko hoki i ngā kaupapa e tiaki ana i te mātauranga Māori me te poipoi i te pitomata o tēnei ahurea taketake."

Ko te whāinga a Te Urungi he poipoi i tētahi taiao toitū e kaha nei te tautoko i te tūhuratanga i ngā ratonga tika mō te ao toi, te ahurea me ngā taonga mō te oranga o tēnei Tononga Pūtea, haere ake nei." Tā Carmel Sepuloni.

"Ko Te Urungi te ingoa o tēnei kaupapa, he aronga ki te urungi i te waka hourua. Mā tēnei hoe ngā waka eke moana e ārahi, e koke pū ki te taunga e tika ana. Ka tika hoki tēnei kupu whakarite hei tohu i te haerenga ngātahi a te tira"

"Kei te tūwhera te rēhita ki ngā tīma me ngā tangata e mahi ana i te ao toi, te ahurea me ngā taonga, oti rā, ngā hapori, ngā kaimahi hangarau, me ētahi atu. Kei te hiahia mātou kia rongo kōrero i ngā tangata kua whakaarohia ētahi kaupapa hinonga whakatipu i te toitūtanga, te urutanga, ngā kaupapa arumoni rānei i waenga i te hunga mahi toi."

Kanohi-ki-te-kanohi - Te Urungi: Ka tū ētahi hui i te motu whānui, ā, timata ai i Te Whanganui-a-Tara hei te 30 o Paengawhāwhā ki te 2 o Haratua. Ka tū hoki ētahi hui ā-ipurangi, ā, ko te tuatahi ka tū hei te 12 o Haratua. Ka puta ngā pānui mō ēnei kaupapa a te wā ka taunakitia ngā whakaritenga.