Creative Communities Scheme — Te Tairāwhiti — Gisborne District Council / Creative New Zealand

$42,000 a year for local arts in Tairāwhiti, and it explicitly funds tukutuku, whakairo and kōwhaiwhai.

Te TairāwhitiAhureaToiMaraeHaporiMāori-led

Closes: Two rounds a year, closing the last Friday of February and of August
Who can apply: Community groups, arts organisations and individuals in the Gisborne district. The project must be completed within 12 months of approval and must not start or finish before funding is approved.
Amount: $42,000 across the year. Most grants are under $2,000
Funding route: Grant
Applicants: Individuals & whānau, Marae & hapū, Iwi & Māori organisations, Community groups

Before you apply

The line worth knowing is where this fund stops and marae facility funding starts, because the council spells it out. Creating tukutuku, whakairo and kōwhaiwhai for a marae is fundable here. Developing or restoring the marae itself — the facility, fixed items and furnishings — is not, and the council directs those applications to Oranga Marae, which was scrapped on 1 July 2026. Marae now apply through Lottery Funding for Community Facilities. Same marae, same project, two different doorways depending on which part you are asking about.

It also covers food for artists, participants and audiences at community arts activities, which most funders will not touch and which is a real cost for a wānanga.

Not funded: entry fees, prize money, awards, royalties, loan repayments, buying equipment, or arts projects in schools that are core curriculum business. You cannot double up with another Creative New Zealand programme.

Most grants are under $2,000, so pitch accordingly.

Official source →

Checked 16 September 2026

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Creative Communities Scheme — Te Tairāwhiti

Before you apply

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