If people paid thousands for a church rebuild, they would never see, they would equally pay to see their culture captured on film, writes Ruta Mave.

Te Maeva Nui has ended and so too has the pretty lights zig zagging across our roads marking the celebration as we drive home from another stunning performance of culture and diversity put together by hard working unpaid individuals whose passion and in some cases boot camp sergeant major direction get our youth mamas and papas coordinated to pluck sew and weave outstanding costumes and deliver songs and dances of impeccable timing and synchronization and sound. 

Aah we are truly blessed to be able to do this. We can ask in the glow of knowing our culture is alive and well for a week before being put back into a box. Until we read the paper. 

Why is there a cry from performance group supporters asking for government help? Why is there a court case pointing fingers at financial bungling in the cultural ministry?  Why can a person get a loan from culture to buy a weed cutter for personal use? – Does the culture ministry think they are a bank? And if they do, why has the reprint of the book ‘Patterns of the Past’ and the filmmakers of ‘Taonga Artist and Activist’ not been given or allowed the same funding, loaning gifting of any amount? When was grass cutting culture?

Shameful to read we are losing money booking the minister and secretary into a hotel by using the wrong booking site. Why is money going left right and centre so the minister can buy electronic equipment - for karaoke? 

All this ridiculousness when we have gifted, talented and world recognised creatives working amongst us who are important intriguing and enlightening members of our community who are out there keeping our culture alive on their own, off their own backs, for nothing? No, not nothing, because their passion knows its worth - their culture goes deeper than the pareu shirt the minister and his inner circle minions wear.

We have thousands of hours of voluntary work dedicated to preserving and showcasing our culture for the world to discover and the world love it, see value in it and support and finance it. 

Meanwhile back at the culture corral they have how many staff? At the end of the day, I don’t care who’s up who and who is paying or not paying or was told to pay it and is taking the rap. The top brass should be sacked - because they are making a mockery of our culture and of those trying to work inside the bureaucratic tape to preserve our culture. It also fuels the naysayers to comment – ‘typical islanders’.  Our creatives deserve better. We deserve better. The sad reality is there is probably more hidden under the carpet we don’t know about – yet.

Taonga, an Artist Activist continues to make its way around the world with film reviewers, film festival judges and critics alike applauding its main character and all who strived to beautifully document his story – our story. Mike Tavioni who continues on his own without funding from Culture embarked on recreating a vaka project unrecognized by his own culture ministry until the day of the launch when who should turn up but the now suspended secretary and the Prime Minister -none of whom donated funds but took the photo opportunity to pretend to the world. 

Mike and his wife have recently returned from Aitutaki where from his own tool box and private donations has started a vaka revival on the island. The $2373 overpayment of accommodation could have bought the tools and replaced Mike’s that he keeps giving away to encourage budding artists. It could have flown Mike or the filmmaker to one of the award ceremonies where it won best picture best director best cinematography best sound. 

Another film has emerged “The island in me” set in Pukapuka and Nassau featuring the people drumming and singing. Another unsupported project who made it - while culture was helping themselves to loans for private use.

The book Patterns of the past if you haven’t read it, find it and buy it. The photos are gorgeous, the people are real and the historical content is incredible. This is not just a book - It is a national treasure. The donation of $1000 to fly a culture staffer to a funeral could have put this book in 20 schools. 

Guess who funded it? Creative NZ -the place to go for funding our artists. 

The minister of culture has no idea the potential we have to be leaders in the pacific for film and television telling our stories - he’s too busy cutting hedges and updating his electronic play station? If people paid thousands for a church rebuild, they would never see, they would equally pay to see their culture captured on film. 

It’s time to vote Mike Tavioni as Cultural Director.