Creative Funding and Support
Māngere - Ōtāhuhu Arts is an initiative from the Māngere Ōtāhuhu Local Board to support and enable community-led arts activities throughout the Māngere - Ōtāhuhu area. It involves having an Art Broker, whose role is to to identify and curate, programme and enable community arts activities. The Art Broker works with local artists and creative organisations, to offer support in the development and delivery of their creative ideas and projects.
Our 2026 round is now open.
We’re looking for creative projects that happen in, and with, the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu community.
Applications close Friday 4 September 2026.
How does it work?
The Art Broker works with you to support you in developing and delivering your creative project or idea, whether this be assisting with funding, marketing, or helping to find the right location or people for you to work with. It all starts from a conversation about what it is you want to do - and from there we work out what advice or support you need. The Art Broker uses their own knowledge and experience to provide you with advice, assistance and support.
The current Art Broker is Renée Tanner. Read about her below to learn what experience she has to share.
Who can apply
Local performers, musicians, artists and creatives
Community and creative organisations
People based in, or working in, the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu area
Projects that happen in, and with, the local community
What kind of support is available?
Money is part of it. Once a year we open this round and fund projects with money from the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board.
But funding isn't the only thing we do. We can help you find a venue, reach an audience, sort out your marketing, or put you in touch with the right people to work with. Some of the projects we support doesn’t need money at all.
The Art Broker is open to all creative projects, even if they are just an “idea”.
The main criteria for receiving Art Broker support is that your creative project is one which will:
meaningfully involve your community
be led by local people
have a strong creative idea behind it
How to apply
This year we’re asking applicants to complete a Form to make the application process as streamlined as possible.
This application includes the following information:
Your idea and any useful links or images
Some information about you or your organisation
Who you would be working with in the community
Your contact details
What support you need for your project ( funding,venue, participants, marketing etc)
If you are looking for funding support, please provide details around how much funding you need and what specifically you would use this for.
A note on GST
If you're GST registered, give your budget figures excluding GST. Any grant would be paid to you plus GST, and you'd claim back the GST on your costs. If you're not GST registered, include GST in your figures, because it's a real cost to you.
Your Arts Broker is available ongoing to provide support around funding and how to get your project off the ground.
PLEASE get in touch if you have any questions at all.
Timing doesn’t work?
Missed the deadline, or the dates don't suit your project? Get in touch anyway. Part of the Art Broker job is shaping this fund around what you're doing, rather than the other way round — so if the timing doesn't fit, tell us and we'll find a way through. A short email is all it takes.
Meet your Art Broker
ART BROKER
Renée Tanner
I've spent 25 years in the creative sector, and most of that time has come down to one thing: helping artists and arts organisations get their ideas made, and keep going afterwards.
I've worked as a curator, a public programmes coordinator, a marketing manager, an arts advisor and a sponsorship manager. I helped develop and launch Boosted, the Arts Foundation's crowdfunding platform for arts projects, and set up the membership programme for the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation.
Across visual arts, theatre, dance, music, festivals and events, I've helped people find funding and sponsorship, sort out PR and marketing, run events, set up governance, develop an idea from almost nothing, and stay upright while doing it.
In 2015 I started my own company, Lightbox Projects, working from first idea through to design, project management and delivery, with a small team of specialists alongside me. Clients have included Open Studios Waitākere, Open Studios Kaipātiki, Open Art Studios Upper Harbour, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Arts, Creative Henderson-Massey, Creative Rodney, the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, the Mackelvie Trust and Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust.
None of which matters much until we've had a conversation about what you want to do. I've seen a lot of ideas find their feet, and I never get tired of it, particularly the early part, when something is still just a thought.
If that's where you are, get in touch.With over 25 years of experience in the creative sector Renée enjoys assisting artists and creative organisations to grow and succeed, and to ensure they remain inspirational and sustainable.