New Fund boosts Waikato arts momentum as Theatre opens
Published on 11 December, 2025
With the opening of the Waikato Regional Theatre fast approaching, the project’s initiator and primary fundraiser is introducing a further boost to local arts and culture.
Momentum Waikato is launching the ‘Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund’, the first of its planned suite of ‘focus funds’ that will enable everyday people to take advantage of its ‘smart giving’ philanthropic investment model to back their favoured cause.
The MW Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund has been kick-started with opening donations from two local arts supporters who, independent of each other, wanted to celebrate and amplify Momentum’s key role in building the new Theatre, through setting up an endowment to further support the Waikato’s artistic development and cultural activity.
ABOVE: The Ralph Hotere mural inside the new Waikato Regional Theatre. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
Creative Waikato CEO Dr Jeremy Mayall welcomes the move.
"Creative Waikato is very pleased to support the Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund,” says Jeremy.
“This Fund will work towards a Waikato region that thrives through diverse and transformative creativity, which directly aligns with our vision.”
ABOVE: Stan Walker with Waikato students at a music workshop and Waikato Regional Theatre promotional event at Zeal Hamilton. PHOTO: Peter Drury.
The new Fund, which is now open to donations and bequests from any and all arts-and-culture fans, will in due course offer grants that support:
creative and cultural practitioners and communities, visual and performance, to showcase their talent,
emerging artists in their chosen career pathway,
artistic or cultural events that bring life to the wider Waikato,
educational institutions’ theatre, music and cultural programmes.
ABOVE: Summer Shakespeare at Victoria on the River. PHOTO: Mark Servian.
Creative and artistic activity facilitates personal health and wellbeing, thriving and cohesive communities, stronger identification with place, greater inter-cultural understanding, intellectual inquiry, and economic activity that builds prosperity.
Local culture is what makes cities, towns and neighbourhoods unique and special places to be and belong, which can be seen in the quality of cultural life available across the Waikato, Coromandel and King Country.
ABOVE: Hamilton Boys High School student perform a haka at a Momentum Waikato Showcase. PHOTO: Mark Hamilton.
Ultimately though, art is worthy of support for its own sake, whether it is happening at the community or the professional level.
“Local artistic and cultural activities need support and investment, and this will be a useful mechanism for enabling such creativity to happen in our communities,” says Jeremy.
“We look forward to seeing the Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund growing and helping local artistic activity to flourish, because we know that creativity lives in Waikato."
ABOVE: Sculptures by Daisy Biscuit and paintings by Tyla Jane Armstrong at Ramp Gallery. PHOTO: Tyla Jane Armstrong.
As with all of Momentum Waikato’s endowments, a donation or a gift in a Will to the Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund will grow its capital, increasing its investment income and, in turn, the funding it can distribute to practitioners, groups and institutions.
Over the next year Momentum Waikato will be activating further ‘focus funds’, each covering a matter of broad public interest such as Health, Education and Animal Welfare.
Find out more and donate to the Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund at momentumwaikato.nz/artsculturecreativityfund.
ABOVE: Catherine Wolicki-Hunt paints a cow for Morrinsville. PHOTO: Mike Walen / KeyImagery.
