Creative Tairawhiti is the organisation that drives TairawhitiArts.net. Known in a previous life as Creative Gisborne, and before that the Gisborne Arts Council, Creative Tairawhiti has in essence been around for some thirty odd years.

The latest name change came about after taking on the TairawhitiArts project, and has brought with it a new vision, new partners and a strong new identity, with the group now representing the wider Tairawhiti region from Wairoa to the East Cape.

Creative Tairawhiti's Creative Facilitator, Tania Short, and Community Development officer Sarah Cleave from the Gisborne District Council, have been tripping around the East Coast meeting many of the interesting and inspired peoples that make up our creative community, to bring you this website, TairawhitiArts...

How TairawhitiArts.net came to be ...

With start-up funding from Regional Strengths Maurangi Toi, a partnership between Creative New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development, and the support of the Gisborne and Wairoa District Councils, TairawhitiArts.net was established in August 2007.

Through TairawhitiArts.net we hope to link the individuals and groups that make up our local arts community with each other and the rest of the world. We aim to provide the means by which you can learn about what's going on in Tairawhiti and who's doing what. We hope you find artists creating works that you like and that you might want to buy, and events that you won't want to miss out on.

We also aim to provide our members with lots of useful resources and tools with which to do what they do better. In return, we hope that if you're doing something interesting or fun that you would like the rest of Tairawhiti and the wider wilder world to know about, you will let us know about it.

Tairawhiti is a vast area geographically, with tracts of rural farmland connecting small isolated coastal townships to the North, and stretching Southward through a meandering gorge to Wairoa via the beautiful Mahia Peninsula. Through TairawhitiArts.net we hope to create an online sector that reflects the spirit and colour that exist in our real world, te Tairawhiti.

Creative Tairawhiti

Creative Tairawhiti aims to support our creative community by facilitating professional development initiatives, arts events and creating new opportunities in the creative sector.

We are interested in all creative practices and we are all about getting more people involved in the arts, both as practitioners and audiences. We think this is important for the intrinsic social good that the arts bring to a community and we want to find ways to make the arts a financially viable prospect.

Who are we ..

Our executive is made up of members who represent various different sectors of our arts community. The current executive is made up of:

Chair         Darryl Monteith
Secretary  Pene Walsh
Treasurer  Yvonne Berry
James Baty
Margaret Mettner
Scott Casley

Charmaine Clark

Tawera Tahuri

Nick Tupara

Catherine Coombes

Nikorima Thatcher

Andrew Hill

Jasper Murphy

James Baty

"My purpose on the executive is to encourage, promote and support the arts in the Tairawhiti region with a view to having artistically vibrant and flourishing communities.  I am interested in arts advocacy in particular advocacy that positions creative enterprise within regional development strategies, provides economic benefits to the creative sector and enhances social and cultural wellbeing."

Darryl Monteith

"I've been on the executive since 2003, after serving on the boards of Tourism Eastland, the Chamber of Commerce and the Tuia Trust - the last 2 years as Chairman.   I'm interested in deciphering the link between the arts and business, and using the strengths of one to strengthen the other.    I also sing and play guitar in The Charles Ash Orchestra and The Ashes, and am General Manager of The Radio Network."

Margaret Mettner

"I was on the Steering Committee which set up the Gisborne Community Arts Council in 1976 and we are finally seeing our dreams start to happen! Arts Co-ordinator, projects, web site and arts awareness…"

Scott Casley

"I am a member of the Creative Tairawhiti Executive because I believe it advocates effectively for local artists and arts groups".

Pene Walsh

"Being a part of a group that supports more local people being involved in the arts and supporting Tairawhiti’s arts community in a meaningful way motivates my involvement.  Personal art highlights in our community for me are literature, theatre, weaving and visual arts, particularly painting"

Yvonne Berry

"I was appointed as Treasurer for Creative Tairawhiti in 2006. I trust that my financial skills can contribute toward the administrative side of the society which in turns contributes its support to local art and artists".

 

What do we do?
As well as driving TairawhitiArts.net, we...

ARTMART

Host an annual Arts Market. Every November local artisans and craftspeople set up shop amongst the trees of Marina Park, at the meeting of the Taruheru and Waimata Rivers. ArtMart signals the arrival of summer and is a lovely way to get into shopping for Christmas. To book a stall for the 2008 ArtMart please contact the Creative Tairawhiti office closer to November!

young artists study award

The proceeds from ArtMart go towards the Young Artists Study Award, a scholarship jointly sponsored by Creative Tairawhiti and the Poverty Bay Antique Society. This $1000 grant is awarded annually to an artist under 25 to assist with further study or training in any field of the arts, and is presented at the Tairawhiti Youth Arts Awards.

 

Under $500 small grants scheme

Creative Tairawhiti also administers the Creative Communities under $500 Small Grants Scheme for the Gisborne Catchment area. Click here to download the criteria and Application Form. Creative Tairawhiti meet on the second Wednesday of every month to consider applications.  If you are located in Wairoa, please contact your local authority to find out when applications are due.

 

Tairawhiti Arts Awards

In 2006 we hosted the inaugural Tairawhiti Arts Awards. These awards provided an opportunity for us to celebrate the talent that exists in our own artistic community, and to thank them for their contribution to the abundant social and cultural capital in our region. The next Tairawhiti Arts Awards will be held in 2008.

 

Daily Operations

On a normal day we like to meet with artists, curators, and facilitators of the arts to ensure we keep on top of our game, are aware of the issues we should be fighting for, and the great stuff that needs to be promoted. We don't just sit in the office and wait for visitors to come to us, we also travel up and down the coast so please call or email to arrange a meeting.

 

Our Sponsors

Regional Strengths Maurangi Toi

Creative Tairawhiti is funded with the support of Creative New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development through Regional Strengths Maurangi Toi.

www.creativenz.govt.nz

Gisborne District Council                    

The Gisborne District Council lend their support to TairawhitiArts in the form of Community Arts Coordinator, Sarah Cleave, who works closely with Tania at Creative Tairawhiti to keep the site up to date, interesting and afloat.  The GDC have also provided a grant towards the cost of managing the site in its first year.     www.gdc.govt.nz

Wairoa District Council

James Baty at the Wairoa District Council acts as the lifeline that runs between Wairoa and Gisborne. He is incredibly committed to providing real benefits to artists from Wairoa, and works hard to achieve this. The Wairoa District Council has also granted funds for operational expenses as well as provided much needed equipment for use by the organisation.   www.wairoadc.govt.nz 

Longbush Wines

Longbush Wines Winemakers John Thorpe and Ryan Raggett are Gisbornites whose support for the arts goes far beyond lip service.  This can be seen by a recent campaign by Longbush to source a collection of local poetry to grace the back labels of the ‘07 Longbush Gold label series. We are grateful to Longbush Wines’ contribution to the TairawhitiArts Launch event.  www.longbush.com

Goldenvines & The Works

The Works is a longtime supporter of our local visual artists, with their walls always adorned with local artworks.  Thanks to Goldenvines and the Works for their contribution to the TairawhitiArts Launch event.   www.goldenvines.co.nz

Sunshine Breweries

Sunshine Breweries are avid supporters of the Gisborne music scene, and also kindly suppported the TairawhitiArts Launch event.  Thank you.