16 December 2025
Matt Baker
By email
: [FYI request #33126 email]
Tēnā koe Matt
Official Information Act request regarding your application the Creative Impact Fund 2025
Round 2
I refer to your official information request, dated 4 December 2025, for information related to
your application to the Creative Impact Fund 2025 Round 2 (App-044374).
We’ve considered your request under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 (‘the
Act’), which is based on the principle that information held by government agencies should be
made available on request unless there is good reason for withholding it.
You requested “the assessors' notes/feedback regarding App-044374 to Creative Impact Fund
2025 – Round 2.” There are no written assessor notes or feedback for your application because
assessors are not required to provide commentary with their scores, and your application was
not discussed by the Theatre panel. Enclosed at the back of this letter is the assessment of your
application by four external peer assessors and one Creative New Zealand staff member (see
Appendix A).
Our internal and external assessors assessed applications using the Creative Impact Fund
assessment criteria and scales. The maximum score for each external assessment is nine, and
the maximum score for internal assessment is 12. As mentioned above, assessors are not
required to provide commentary to accompany their scores.
Once the assessment of an application is complete, the scores for each assessment criteria are
added up to give the total score for the application. The total score is calculated from the
average score from external peer assessors added to the internal assessment score.
Applications in a funding round are then put in an artform ranked list according to their total
score. Your application received a total score of 15 from a total possible score of 21.
Artform panels are then convened and are an important opportunity for our external peer
assessors and Creative New Zealand staff to consider the merits of applications within the
round. The Theatre panel (General Arts) assessed all applications and made collective funding
recommendations on which applications should receive funding from the notional budget
allocated. The panel made recommendations for applications to both the Creative Impact Fund
and Creative Fellowship Fund 2025 Round 2.
At panel meetings, scores are used to identify strong applications to a round. A ‘merit line’ is
set, to focus discussion and recommendations by the panels, although not all applications
above the merit line are discussed. The merit line cut-off for the Creative Impact Fund 2025
Round 2 was 15/21.
The panel collectively identify applications they wish to discuss, with a focus on the ones they
may recommend for funding within the notional budget. The panel consider the spread of
applications and any artform gaps. Your application was not put forward for discussion by the
panel and it was not recommended for funding.
Changes made to our contestable funding programmes and processes mean panels aren’t able
to discuss all applications to a round. Panel members read and assess all applications, allowing
the panel to use the time to put forward and discuss the applications they are actively
considering for funding within the limited budget available. Other changes have impacted our
processes, such as the removal of application caps for funding rounds. This means we are
processing and assessing a higher volume of applications. This has required changes to how our
assessment and panels operate.
Relevant members of Creative New Zealand’s Senior Leadership Team approve panel
recommendations. In this instance, final decisions for the General Arts funding pool were
approved by the Senior Manager, Te Kaupapa o Toi Aotearoa, due to staff leave.
We understand you’ll be disappointed with the outcome of your application. It was a highly
competitive round, given the high number of applications received and the limited amount of
funding we have available. In the Creative Impact Fund, two of 36 Theatre applications (General
Arts) were successful (5.5 percent). Overall, for Theatre (General Arts), $200,000 was available,
across both the Creative Impact Fund and Creative Fellowship Funds, and five applications
were approved from 69 submissions (7.2 percent). You can read more about the key themes and
observations for the round
on our website.
If you would like to discuss any future applications, please contact Cassandra Wilson (Lead
Practice Adviser, Theatre, Dance and Festivals
; [email address]).
Cassandra is currently on leave and will be available from 19 January 2026.
If you wish to discuss this information request, please get in touch with Kate Adolph (Adviser,
Policy & Performance;
[email address]).
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of the decision on your information request. Information about how to make a
complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui, nā
David Pannett
Senior Manager, Strategy & Engagement
Pou Whakahaere Matua, Rautaki me te Tūhono
Encl
2
Appendix A
Matt Baker: Creative Impact Fund 2025 Round 2
The premiere production of an absurdist play by a Zimbabwean-New Zealand playwright
Assessment 1
Assessed
Question
Assessment result text
score
BENEFIT: The proposal aligns with one or more of Higher impact/Value/
3/3
the following:
He pānga nui
- Enriching audiences and communities
- Deepening people's understanding of and
participation in the arts
- Encouraging the sharing of knowledge and
skills
COMMUNITY: There is clear and identified
Higher impact/Value/
3/3
benefit for the applicant's communities and/or
He pānga nui
audience
RELEVANCE: The applicant's intent is clear; it is
Higher impact/Value/
3/3
important that they do these activities now
He pānga nui
Assessment 2
Assessed
Question
Assessment result text
score
BENEFIT: The proposal aligns with one or more of Lower impact/Value/
1/3
the following:
He pānga iti
- Enriching audiences and communities
- Deepening people's understanding of and
participation in the arts
- Encouraging the sharing of knowledge and
skills
COMMUNITY: There is clear and identified
Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
benefit for the applicant's communities and/or
He panga pai
audience
RELEVANCE: The applicant's intent is clear; it is
Lower impact/Value/
1/3
important that they do these activities now
He panga iti
3
Assessment 3
Assessed
Question
Assessment result text
score
BENEFIT: The proposal aligns with one or more of Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
the following:
He pānga pai
- Enriching audiences and communities
- Deepening people's understanding of and
participation in the arts
- Encouraging the sharing of knowledge and
skills
COMMUNITY: There is clear and identified
Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
benefit for the applicant's communities and/or
He pānga pai
audience
RELEVANCE: The applicant's intent is clear; it is
Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
important that they do these activities now
He pānga pai
Assessment 4
Assessment result text
Assessed
Question
score
BENEFIT: The proposal aligns with one or more of Higher impact/Value/
3/3
the following:
He pānga nui
- Enriching audiences and communities
- Deepening people's understanding of and
participation in the arts
- Encouraging the sharing of knowledge and
skills
COMMUNITY: There is clear and identified
Higher impact/Value/
3/3
benefit for the applicant's communities and/or
He pānga nui
audience
RELEVANCE: The applicant's intent is clear; it is
Higher impact/Value/
3/3
important that they do these activities now
He pānga nui
Creative New Zealand assessment
Assessment result text
Assessed
Question
score
BENEFIT: The proposed activities allow the
Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
applicant to share knowledge and skills, or
He pānga pai
This score is
create and develop impactful work, or deepen
double-
people’s appreciation and participation in the
weighted, so its
arts.
value is 4/6
4
COMMUNITY: There is clear and identified
Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
benefit for the applicant's communities and/or
He panga
audience
FINANCIAL: The budget is detailed and thorough. Moderate impact/Value/
2/3
The budget includes fair remuneration.
He panga
Applications for more than $50,000 have income
from other sources.
Assessment scale
High impact/Value/He pānga nui: 3
Moderate impact/Value/He pānga pai: 2
Lower impact/Value/He pānga iti: 1
5
