Cultural Diplomacy
The first year of the Cultural Diplomacy International Programme has seen funding provided to a range of projects aimed at showcasing our talents in arts and culture to enhance our profile as a country as well as boosting our economic, trade, tourism, diplomatic and cultural interests.
World of Wearable Art creations - (from left to right) 'He Taonga Mai Te Atua' by Darlene Slade, 'Man-U-Fracture' by Aron Willis and Rebecca Kornman, and 'Buiten Gerbruik' by Nicole and Yo Heydenrijk.
The initiatives funded include:
- a World of Wearable Arts event and film festival as part of the wider New Zealand Festival in Singapore
- four New Zealand writers at the Shanghai literary festival which showcased writing in English with Asia-Pacific roots
- Kapa haka performances in Korea by the Patea Māori Club
- a major gift to the new Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, consisting of two series of photographic works, one by Michael Parekowhai and the other by Fiona Pardington. The photographic series will join the museum's permanent collection and selected pieces will also form part of a large scale display in an outside garden area of the museum.
- the presentation by the Prime Minister of a corrugated iron Kiwi made by artist Jeff Thomson to Berlin Zoo, celebrating the zoo's successful kiwi breeding programme.
- the use material from Te Ara, the encyclopedia of New Zealand at the opening of the new New Zealand Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, which also included kapa haka performances by the Manaia Māori cultural group. Coverage of the opening event was screened widely on Polish television and included interviews with some Polish-New Zealanders present.
- support for the NZSO to perform at the World Expo in Aichi, Japan following an international tour to London to take part in the world famous BBC Proms and a sought-after performance at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Year Two of the Programme is in development, the particular focus being on delivering some major projects in China.