Why Auckland really is our most cultured cityNoted arts commentator joins the fray!
John Daly-Peoples, arts editor, National Business Review writing in the issue of NBR on sale tomorrow, Friday March 6.
There has been a lot of teeth gnashing and naming calling over Metro’s recent article that reveals Auckland is the cultural centre of New Zealand.
Aucklanders have known this fact for some time but, as they rarely think beyond the Bombay Hills, they had generally neglected to tell their southern cousins about it.
Wellington of course does have its cultural gems. Its inner city architecture puts Auckland into the shade, it has one of the world's best arts festivals, a buzzy theatre scene, lots of major national cultural and arts organizations and lots of cultural bureaucrats.
But in terms of the most art forms Auckland is thriving and you can see it in the numbers.
Venues
Auckland has several big venues, which are almost in constant use – Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, Vector Arena, Telstra Clear Stadium as well as events centres on the North Shore and at Waitakere City.
Wellington has the Michael Fowler Centre, the Town Hall, the Events Centre, the St James and the Opera House.
The mid size venues in Auckland include the Maidment Theatre, Civic Theatre, Concert Chamber, Sky City Theatre, Herald Theatre, Basement Theatre, Glen Eden Theatre, Pumphouse, Bruce Mason Theatre.
Wellington has Circa, Downstage, Soundings Theatre as well at Bats Gryphon and a couple of smaller venues.
Music
Wellington has a number of orchestras, the NZSO, the Wellington Vector Orchestra and the Hutt Orchestra but Auckland has close to a dozen.
It gets the NZSO programme (during the forthcoming festival it also plasy a couple Auckland only concerts), the Auckland Philharmonia, the Manukau City Orchestra, the North Shore Orchestra, the Waitakere City Orchestra, the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and Pipers Symphonia.
Visual arts
Auckland is predominant in the visual arts. Of the $80 million worth of art sold through nationally through art dealers and the auction houses 75-80% is sold in Auckland where there are more galleries than in the rest of the country.
Several galleries in Auckland would regularly have solo exhibitions withe sales in excess of $100,000.
Talking about dollars may not be the Wellington way but when there are big sales being generated that means that the artist are doing well and being recognised for their work.
Alas, Te Papa, despite a few recent valiant efforts has failed to do its job as the nation’s national art gallery, a task that the Auckland Art Gallery has had to take on showing its collection New Zealand historical and contemporary art.
Auckland has double the number of publically funded major and minor regional galleries and museums (18 to 8) and three times the number of dealer galleries.
Auckland also gets to host the two major art awards, the biannual Art Fair and two major outdoor sculpture shows.
Theatre
The half dozen theatres of Wellington put on a great programme but often in Auckland, even Aucklanders forget that there is more than just Silo, Auckland Theatre Company and a couple of other production companies.
There are another dozen local theatre groups in Manuakau, Howick, Onehunga, West Auckland and the North Shore that present both traditional and experimental theatrical works.
They don’t have to publicise themselves widely as they have full houses from local audiences.
Audience numbers in Auckland are substantially higher than Wellington, partly because the theatres are much bigger.
In addition to the local theatre scene Auckland also attracts lots of overseas shows that don’t go to Wellington such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady. Even the Australian Ballet turns up occasionally.
Film / television
Peter Jackson and Weta have certainly made their mark in Wellington and the two city’s probably have equal film credits but the films which manage to explore the nations cultural identity are generally Auckland ones such as Sione's Wedding.
In terms of adding to the culture though, it must be Shortland St and to a lesser extent Outrageous Fortune, which have made a major impact. Madge and Dr Ropata are part of New Zealand culture, thanks to South Pacific Pictures.
Patronage and sponsorship
Money makes things happen in Auckland. The NZSO can only survive with huge government subsidies, yet the Auckland Philharmonia which puts on as many performances gets around 40% of public money. The rest is made of the money is from patrons, friends and fund raising.
The APO has several hundred donors and many of the other arts ortganisations such as ATC and the Auckland Art Gallery receive substantial assistance in this way.
The ASB Trust puts more money into the arts in Auckland than does Creative New Zealand and around 30 times as much as does the Community Trust of Wellington .
This is an indication that Aucklanders value their arts with money, not just words.
It is an interesting fact that while close to 15% of Aucklanders travel down to Wellington for the arts festival Wellingtonians don’t seem to have any interest in doing the journey up for Auckland's.
Aucklanders have known this fact for some time but, as they rarely think beyond the Bombay Hills, they had generally neglected to tell their southern cousins about it.
Wellington of course does have its cultural gems. Its inner city architecture puts Auckland into the shade, it has one of the world's best arts festivals, a buzzy theatre scene, lots of major national cultural and arts organizations and lots of cultural bureaucrats.
But in terms of the most art forms Auckland is thriving and you can see it in the numbers.
Venues
Auckland has several big venues, which are almost in constant use – Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, Vector Arena, Telstra Clear Stadium as well as events centres on the North Shore and at Waitakere City.
Wellington has the Michael Fowler Centre, the Town Hall, the Events Centre, the St James and the Opera House.
The mid size venues in Auckland include the Maidment Theatre, Civic Theatre, Concert Chamber, Sky City Theatre, Herald Theatre, Basement Theatre, Glen Eden Theatre, Pumphouse, Bruce Mason Theatre.
Wellington has Circa, Downstage, Soundings Theatre as well at Bats Gryphon and a couple of smaller venues.
Music
Wellington has a number of orchestras, the NZSO, the Wellington Vector Orchestra and the Hutt Orchestra but Auckland has close to a dozen.
It gets the NZSO programme (during the forthcoming festival it also plasy a couple Auckland only concerts), the Auckland Philharmonia, the Manukau City Orchestra, the North Shore Orchestra, the Waitakere City Orchestra, the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and Pipers Symphonia.
Visual arts
Auckland is predominant in the visual arts. Of the $80 million worth of art sold through nationally through art dealers and the auction houses 75-80% is sold in Auckland where there are more galleries than in the rest of the country.
Several galleries in Auckland would regularly have solo exhibitions withe sales in excess of $100,000.
Talking about dollars may not be the Wellington way but when there are big sales being generated that means that the artist are doing well and being recognised for their work.
Alas, Te Papa, despite a few recent valiant efforts has failed to do its job as the nation’s national art gallery, a task that the Auckland Art Gallery has had to take on showing its collection New Zealand historical and contemporary art.
Auckland has double the number of publically funded major and minor regional galleries and museums (18 to 8) and three times the number of dealer galleries.
Auckland also gets to host the two major art awards, the biannual Art Fair and two major outdoor sculpture shows.
Theatre
The half dozen theatres of Wellington put on a great programme but often in Auckland, even Aucklanders forget that there is more than just Silo, Auckland Theatre Company and a couple of other production companies.
There are another dozen local theatre groups in Manuakau, Howick, Onehunga, West Auckland and the North Shore that present both traditional and experimental theatrical works.
They don’t have to publicise themselves widely as they have full houses from local audiences.
Audience numbers in Auckland are substantially higher than Wellington, partly because the theatres are much bigger.
In addition to the local theatre scene Auckland also attracts lots of overseas shows that don’t go to Wellington such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady. Even the Australian Ballet turns up occasionally.
Film / television
Peter Jackson and Weta have certainly made their mark in Wellington and the two city’s probably have equal film credits but the films which manage to explore the nations cultural identity are generally Auckland ones such as Sione's Wedding.
In terms of adding to the culture though, it must be Shortland St and to a lesser extent Outrageous Fortune, which have made a major impact. Madge and Dr Ropata are part of New Zealand culture, thanks to South Pacific Pictures.
Patronage and sponsorship
Money makes things happen in Auckland. The NZSO can only survive with huge government subsidies, yet the Auckland Philharmonia which puts on as many performances gets around 40% of public money. The rest is made of the money is from patrons, friends and fund raising.
The APO has several hundred donors and many of the other arts ortganisations such as ATC and the Auckland Art Gallery receive substantial assistance in this way.
The ASB Trust puts more money into the arts in Auckland than does Creative New Zealand and around 30 times as much as does the Community Trust of Wellington .
This is an indication that Aucklanders value their arts with money, not just words.
It is an interesting fact that while close to 15% of Aucklanders travel down to Wellington for the arts festival Wellingtonians don’t seem to have any interest in doing the journey up for Auckland's.
5 comments:
What? No books and writers! Pourquoi pas, if one may ask a leading question.
Largely because it would be hard to "prove" that more writers live in Auckland and more books are written there, one assumes.
It is an interesting fact that while close to 15% of Aucklanders travel down
to Wellington for the arts festival Wellingtonians don't seem to have any
interest in doing the journey up for Auckland's.
The 'interesting fact' says that a population almost the size of Wellington
city travel down there for the Wellington Arts Festival.
Stop worrying about it. We all believe you're cultured.
Unlike Auckland Wellington has its events embedded in its brand "Absolutely Positively" run out of Wellington City Council with a reasonable budget which spends a great deal of energy making sure that travel deals are done with Air New Zealand and that its events get national advertising budgets - Auckland, as ever, has no convenient single brand or any single authority to run one.
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