Hon Jim Anderton
Member of Parliament for Wigram
Progressive Leader
15 July 2008 News release
National’s arts funding – a cut in real terms
Arts funding under National would be cut in real terms, Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton says.
National today claimed that in government it would “be maintaining funding at least at current levels.”
Jim Anderton says National was forced to rush out an announcement about arts funding because its spokesperson was
embarrassed at a forum on the topic last Friday.
“National’s backbench MP promised not to cut funding. When I pointed out that keeping funding at the same level amounts
to a cut in real terms, National’s spokesperson said “I am not the finance spokesperson.”
“He has had another five days to phone National’s finance spokesperson at his holiday resort in Samoa and ask whether
arts funding would be cut in real terms. And all he can tell us is ‘in these tighter economic times it is not
appropriate to significantly grow funding.’
“This government has substantially increased arts funding and support for initiatives such as large budget film
productions. If spending were kept the same it would amount to even bigger cuts under National because inflation will be
much higher under National. That’s because National has confirmed it will borrow for tax cuts and increase government
debt to buy groceries. That has a hugely inflationary effect.
“In other words, prices will rise more quickly than they do now, but National’s real spending will fall. The same number
of dollars will buy less. How is that not a cut?
“Under National there will be less of New Zealand on air. There will be fewer – if any – big international movies filmed
here, such as Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Narnia. National would happily shut down a blossoming industry,” Jim
Anderton says.
ENDS