Appointments to the Council of Creative NZ, the Arts Board and Te Waka Toi

The Minister of Cultural Affairs, Hon D.A.M. Graham, today announced the appointment of the Chair of the Council of Creative New Zealand, the Chair of the Arts Board and a number of members to the Council, the Arts Board and Te Waka Toi.

Brian Stevenson, Auckland, has been re-appointed Chair of Creative NZ for a further term of three years.

'Mr Stevenson has successfully chaired the Council during its first two years of existence and presided over the preparation of its first strategic plan,' Mr Graham said.

'His financial skills are important to the Council and I am keen for him to continue to develop Creative NZ's strategic direction.'

Professor Albert Wendt, Auckland, Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, Christchurch, and Cilla McQueen, Bluff, have been appointed to the Council of Creative NZ.

Professor Wendt, a noted author who will bring a Pacific Islands perspective to the Council, has resigned from the Arts Board to take up his new position. Mr Mane-Wheoki, who has a broad knowledge of visual arts, has just completed a two-year term as a member of Te Waka Toi. Both appointments are for two years.

Ms McQueen, a noted poet who has twice won the NZ Book Award for poetry, has been appointed for three years. Mr Graham said her understanding of the issues facing individual professional artists will be a valuable asset to the Council.

In making the new appointments, Mr Graham paid tribute to the retiring members of the Council. He said Jennifer Morel, Ema Te Toroa Tangiariki Pohatu and Mahe Tupouniua had put a lot of work into the Council during its establishment phase.

Professor Claudia Scott, Wellington, has been re-appointed Chair of the Arts Board for three years.

'Professor Scott has been an active and effective Chair over the past two years and I believe that her experience will be valuable to the Arts Board as it moves out of its establishment phase,' Mr Graham said.

Dunedin opera singer Judy Bellingham has been re-appointed to the Arts Board for a further two years. Sefita Hao'uli, Auckland, who is strongly involved in Pacific Islands community and cultural affairs, has been appointed for one year to fill the vacancy caused by Professor Wendt's resignation.

John Marsh, Director of the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Centre in Rotorua, and John Klaricich of Hokianga, a member of the NZ Historic Places Trust, the NZ Conservation Authority and the Waitangi National Trust Board have been appointed to Te Waka Toi for three-year terms. Noted Maori contemporary visual artist Jacqueline Fraser of Auckland has been appointed for two years.

Mr Graham thanked Roma Potiki and Te Atamira Winitana, whose terms as members of Te Waka Toi expired, for their contribution over the past two years.