MW Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund - First ‘focus fund’ boosts Waikato arts momentum
Published on 26 May, 2026
Above: Arts patron Nancy Caiger with 'The Glow', a painting of the BNZ Theatre by Hong Cumming.
From the Momentum Waikato Annual Report 2025 - see full report in PDF.
Momentum Waikato marked the completion of the Waikato Regional Theatre, now the BNZ Theatre, by launching the ‘Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund’.
It is the first of a planned suite of Momentum-branded ‘focus funds’, which will offer Waikato and Coromandel people an easy way to access the community foundation’s ‘smart giving’ endowment model for addressing their greatest concerns or backing their favourite causes.
The MW Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund was kick-started with donations from two local arts supporters who, independent of each other, wanted to celebrate Momentum’s role with the new Theatre, by setting up a fund to further support the Waikato’s artistic and cultural development.
Creative Waikato CEO Dr Jeremy Mayall welcomed the move.
"Creative Waikato is very pleased to support the Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund,” said Jeremy.
“This Fund will work towards a Waikato region that thrives through diverse and transformative creativity, which directly aligns with our vision.”
The new Fund, which is 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.
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.
Ultimately though, art is worthy of support for its own sake, whether it is happening at the community or the professional level.
You can find out more and donate to the Momentum Waikato Arts, Culture and Creativity Fund at momentumwaikato.nz/artsculturecreativityfund.
