Firms asked to give to arts

Press, 21 August 1979, Page 20

Firms asked to give to arts

PA Dunedin Businesses throughout New Zealand have been urged to give money to promoting the arts. Big money in top business concerns could be made available to the arts, said the Minister for the Arts (Mr Highet) to delegates to the fourth annual conference of the Southern Regional Arts Council held at. Dunedin during the week-end. Mr Highet said he was heartened to hear the announcement that the Wellington entrepreneur, Mr Bob Jones, had arranged a $lOO,OOO sponsorship for the New Zealand Ballet Company. The money given to the ballet by Brierley Investments, Ltd, is believed to be the biggest sponsorship given a New Zealand sporting or cultural organisation. “It is clear there is money to be got from big business in this country and With someone like Bob Jones doing it we should get a lot more,” Mr Highet said. The arts in New Zealand were flourishing, both the Government and the Lottery

Board “doing their bit to help.” This year the allocation to the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council increased to a total of S3.IM. This was an overall increase of 14.6 per cent oh the amount the Arts Council received last year, he said. I The “most obvious weaki ness” in the arts was in the conservation: while there I were organisations working ! for conservation, it was in the technical aspects that New Zealand was weak. “Last year representatives of all the organisations interested in conservation got together at a symposium. They all agreed that a special conservation body should be set up and that eventually there should be legislation in this area. Within the next few weeks 1 expect to announce the membership of an interim conservation comnuttee,” Mr Highet said. This year $90,000 has been set aside by the Lottery Board for cultural conservation. Mr Highet said this was a “Very favourable! allocation compared with a! i total of $BO,OOO over the last (three years.” I