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Funded events to attract 40,000 people to Ruapehu region

The nearly $450,000 of funding will be dispersed among six Ruapehu events, including the Raetihi Gutbuster. Photo / Supplied

Six events in Ruapehu have been awarded funding, predicted to attract over 40,000 people, with two-thirds being visitors from outside the region.

The Ruapehu event organisers will receive funding from a pool of nearly $450,000 over the next two to three years, following the announcement of a second tranche of funding from the Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund.

A mixture of new and existing events will receive the funding, covering diverse interest areas of snow sports, trail running, cycling, music and culture.

The events are Tom Campbell Big Air, Ohakune Roots & Blues Festival, Kotahitanga Festival, Vertical Sky Waka Challenge, Raetihi Gutbuster and one other that is still to be confirmed.

A Ruapehu District Council spokesperson Kim Treen said in the past it was small groups of volunteers delivering Ruapehu events, and he was pleased they could receive this financial support over the next three years.

“The support allows the funded events to be developed, positioned and marketed to be or become an iconic or anchor event for the region, encouraging economic benefit and boosting capability in our events sector,” Treen said.

The Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund was set up by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to help support and provide new domestic visitor opportunities for the events and tourism sectors that have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event organiser of Taumarunui’s Kotahitanga Festival Anahera Hose said they were grateful to be successful with the support to grow the festival into a strong regional proposition.

Thermal Explorer Event Investment Panel member Nicola Greenwell said they had held capability-building workshops and webinars for event organisers, and planned on expanding them as they focus on developing the events sector capability across the Thermal Explorer regions.

Greenwell said she encouraged event organisers to register their interest to receive notification of capability-building opportunities.

The Thermal Explorer Highway fund covers events in Rotorua, Taupō, Ruapehu, as well as Hamilton and the wider Waikato.

Upcoming events:
Tom Campbell Big Air – September 23-24, 2022
Ohakune Roots & Blues Festival – October 21, 2022
Vertical Sky Waka Challenge – 10-12 March, 2023
Raetihi Gutbuster 25 March, 2023

Government tells arts bodies to suspend cultural events funded by Russian state

OTTAWA —
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has asked arts bodies that get federal funding to suspend all cultural activities involving Russians linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime in protest of his invasion of Ukraine.

Canadian Heritage has written to organizations receiving the department’s funding, asking them to cancel tours and co-productions bankrolled by Russian or Belarusian state organizations.

The demand, issued last month, could lead to cancellation of exhibitions of art loaned from Russian galleries, as well as concerts, festivals, and theatre and ballet productions featuring Russian artists.

It warned that Canadian cultural organizations found to have ties with the Russian or Belarusian states will also no longer get government funding.

But the letter makes it clear that ordinary Russians with no ties to Putin’s regime or to the Belarusian state will not be affected.

The Heritage Department said it had launched a review to identify activities involving Russia and Belarus.

“We urge you to do the same, and to suspend all activity involving the participation of Russian or Belarusian state organizations or their official representatives,” the letter said. “This includes program partnerships, direct and indirect financing of tours, co-productions, participation in festivals or other events involving the Russian or Belarusian governments.”

Rodriguez faced questions Thursday about whether the instruction was so broad it could lead to Russian artists being penalized more generally, while probing all links to the Russian state, including officials, could prove difficult.

Laura Scaffidi, press secretary to Rodriguez, said the scope of the instruction would not capture work by ordinary Russians and Belarusians, or Canadians with Russian and Belarusian heritage.

“Russian culture has given the world so much rich music, literature and other art. We celebrate that,” she said. “This is not about unfairly targeting law-abiding and peace-loving citizens and permanent residents.”

A number of arts organizations have cancelled events involving Russian performers since the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Canada Council for the Arts announced in a blog post that it was cutting ties with Russian and Belarusian artists.

The Vancouver Recital Society and the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal have announced they are cancelling planned concerts with Alexander Malofeev, a young Russian pianist.

In the U.K., the Royal Opera House cancelled a tour of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet following the attack on Ukraine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2022.