19 January 2023
John Luke
By email:
[FYI request #21510 email]
Tēnā koe John
Official information request relating to Sefita Hao’uli
Thank you for your Official Information Act request received on 3 January 2023.
Your request refers to Sefita Hao’uli’s citation for his appointment as a Member of the New Zealand
Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List 2023. You have requested the fol owing information:
Can you please let me know what is the term of reference of your "Arts Board" with Creative
New Zealand. Also who sit on the art board besides Mr Sefita. The pay rate of your board
member.
Creative New Zealand was established as a Crown entity under the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi
Aotearoa Act 1994, replacing the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand. A copy of the 1994
Act is available online at NZLI :
http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/aconztaa19941994n19395/
Under the 1994 Act, a seven-member Arts Council was constituted to fund and direct the policy of
two boards; an Arts Board, with responsibility for the funding and promotion of all non-Māori arts,
and Te Waka Toi, the equivalent for ngā toi Māori (Māori arts). A Pacific Islands Arts Committee was
also established, to advise the Arts Board and fund Pacific arts.
On establishment, the Committee’s roles and responsibilities were to:
• promote Pacific Islands arts and culture in New Zealand
• encourage access, participation and excellence in the arts
• advise and inform the Council and Boards on Pacific Island arts and cultural issues and report
[to] the Arts Board on a regular basis
• allocate funding to Pacific Island arts, artists and community arts groups in accordance with
the strategic objectives of Creative New Zealand's Strategic Plan
• collect, collate and disseminate information on Pacific Islands artists communities and
organisations
• disseminate information on accessing resources available through other national y and
locally funded programmes of the Arts Council
• foster exchanges across cultures both nationally and internationally
• promote the unique relationship between the Pacific Islands communities/cultures and
Tangata whenua.
The Chair of the Pacific Islands Arts Committee was an ex officio member of the Arts Board.
Mr Sefita came in as the Committee’s Chair in August 1996 and remained Chair until September
1997, so most of his time fell within the 1996/97 financial year.
Arts Board members as at 30 June 1997 were:
• Claudia Scott (Chair)
• Judy Bel ingham
• Chris Finlayson
• Alexandra Morrison
• Dian Ross
• Ray Sleeman
• Sefita Hao’uli (ex officio).
Pacific Islands Arts Committee members as at 30 June 1997 were:
• Sefita Hao’uli (Chair)
• Tuaine Robati
• Tevita Rasiga
• Tufuga Lagatule
• Makerita Urale
• Siale Pasa
• Fale Puka
• Helina Schmidt.
Our current Annual Reports contain information on Creative New Zealand’s governors and the total
value of their remuneration received in the relevant financial year. Unfortunately, older Annual
Reports (including for the financial year to 30 June 1997, which covers most of Mr Hao’uli’s time on
the Arts Board and Pacific Islands Arts Committee) do not include this level of detail. We therefore
decline this part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, on the grounds that the information
requested cannot be found, despite reasonable efforts to locate it. For your interest, the total
expenditure on Council and Board fees for the year ended 30 June 1997 was $110,000.
The 1994 Act was ultimately replaced by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 2014.
Under the 2014 Act, the Arts Council, Arts Board (including the Pacific Islands Arts Committee) and
Te Waka Toi were consolidated to form a single, unitary, 13-member Arts Council, with a statutory
Māori committee to advise on ngā toi Māori (Māori arts). These governance arrangements remain in
place today.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui, nā
David Pannett
Pou Whakahaere Matua, Rautaki me te Tūhono
Senior Manager, Strategy & Engagement
