He Mana Toi Moehau Trust/Creative Coromandel launches new artist mentoring programme for Thames-Coromandel region.
He Mana Toi Moehau Trust/Creative Coromandel are excited to announce the launch of a new, much-needed art initiative for the Thames-Coromandel District/Hauraki rohe
- the pARTner Up Mentoring Programme.
With support and funding from Creative New Zealand’s Arts Continuity Grant, pARTner Up will connect creatives with experienced artist mentors, who between them hold a wealth of skills, knowledge and life
experience, to help mentees take a significant step forward in their artistic careers.
This coincides with the end of the COVID-19 lockdown and the ongoing need to sustain careers for artists, arts
practitioners and technicians, groups and organisations.
pARTner Up is a 9 month commitment but will be delivered in two phases. The first phase runs from 27 June 2020 to 30 September
2020. The second phase will run through from Oct 2020 to March 2021 with a break over December and January.
As the go-to organisation for everything arts and creativity related in the Thames-Coromandel District, Creative
Coromandel is fully committed to supporting local creatives to reach their full potential.
The Thames-Coromandel region, while a beautiful location to live and work, is also isolated and individual communities
are remote. This can prove challenging for artists of all disciplines, who may not always have the opportunity to work
alongside or learn from other artists in their field, nor find ways to gain exposure for their practice outside of their
communities.
Currently there is no artist mentoring programme in these regions, one which is responsive to the needs and aspirations
of individual artists.
To design this new initiative, Creative Coromandel drew inspiration from a similar mentoring initiative run in Northland
in 2010, called ‘Crossing the Gap’ facilitated by Mary Britton under the Cultural Heritage and Arts Resource Trust (CHART), which has since transitioned
into Creative Northland.
They have also called on the expertise of Master Certified Coach and PapaAroha resident, Linley Rose, to facilitate the programme. Linley is a globally qualified and experienced coach and mentor, with close to 10,000
hours of coaching clients and training coaches in many diverse industry groups.
“We are looking for creatives who are strongly committed to developing their art practice and are willing to see the
programme through from start to finish, explains Linley.
“Each creative will be paired with a mentor who will work with their mentee in the spirit of being their champion. The
mentors will share their experiences and wisdom for success in the art world and encourage their mentee to step outside
of their existing comfort zones”.
Mentee’s will be inspired to set goals around developing an art practice that is financially sustainable, making their
art more visible on a broader stage, resolving a creative block or finding their artistic ‘voice’ at a higher level.
“It’s of utmost importance to us that our creatives are supported and encouraged to engage in their artistic practice,
and feel confident in their abilities to set and achieve long-term career goals,” says Jan Wright, Chair of He Mana Toi
Moehau Trust/Creative Coromandel. “But not everyone wants to make a living from the arts, so this programme is also for
creatives who feel driven to become the best they can possibly be in their practice.
“We have amazing artistic talent in this region and several nationally and internationally acclaimed artists call The
Coromandel home. The aim for pARTner Up is to share knowledge and inspiration which supports creatives to make that very personal, and often quite daunting,
transition from ‘good’ to ‘great’.
“This is how the idea for pARTner Up came about. We realised a formal facilitation of mentee-mentor relationships was needed, a programme that was grounded
in coaching and mentoring principles rather than arts techniques or skills”.
Mayor Sandra Goudie of the Thames-Coromandel District Council is extremely supportive of this initiative.
“This mentoring programme will most certainly further enhance the richness of our district’s arts and creativity. TCDC
supports the arts sector as a significant contributor to this district’s social wellbeing by providing opportunities for
economic benefit for our residents through arts and culture tourism”.
With the creative arts playing such a significant role in making the Coromandel Peninsula an attractive destination for
domestic and international visitors, Creative Coromandel believes that pARTner Up will go a long way in strengthening the creative arts sector in this region.
If you’re interested in applying for a space, either as a mentee or mentor, contact Kerryn Wakelin on info.creativecoromandel@gmail.com to request an application form. Applications close Sunday 21 June, 5pm. For more information, visit Creative
Coromandel’s website and follow them on Facebook.
Our sincere thanks to Creative New Zealand and Thames-Coromandel District Council for their support.
Creative Coromandel - He Mana Toi Moehau Trust
Creative Coromandel - He Mana Toi Moehau Trust – (originally named the Coromandel Arts and Creative Industries Advisory
Board) - is a group formed in 2016 by the Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC).
The group was borne from consultation with The Coromandel arts sector, working to deliver a unified approach to
promotion, advocacy and representation of the arts across the District.
He Mana Toi Moehau Trust is made up of representatives from Thames, Tairua-Pauanui, Mercury Bay, Whangamata, Coromandel
and Northern Coromandel. The Trust also includes representatives from Tangata Whenua, the Hauraki Māori Trust Board and
TCDC. A sound foundation of cross-sector arts knowledge and experience exists within the Creative Coromandel team.Linley Rose
Linley Rose MCC is a veteran master coach (since 2001) with close to 10,000 hours of coaching leader clients and
training coaches globally in many diverse industry groups – particularly Asia, Oceania and Europe.
Her focus is on delivering results with people, growing their capability, exploring, understanding and constructing new
realities and encouraging powerful relationships which enhance balance between business and personal success. Her work
has given an extensive understanding of cross-cultural challenges in organizations. Her coaching is often described as
having had an extraordinary impact.
In 2008 she achieved the highest level credential from the International Coaching Federation becoming New Zealand’s
first Master Certified Coach. Linley has served other coaches globally as a teacher, mentor, assessor and as an
International Coaching Federation leader as Director of Professional Standards and Head of Coaching Excellence in
Australasia.