The government has announced a funding boost to help thousands of artists and creatives recover from the impact of Covid-19.

Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern made the announcement at Te Papa this afternoon.

She sayd this support was much-needed, because the cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic.

"Museums, galleries and heritage sites closed, and individual artists and arts organisations like dance and theatre companies saw their incomes decimated almost overnight.

"Funding announced today will help them get back on their feet. New jobs will be created, and the sector will innovate and connect with new audiences.

"Now more than ever we need a thriving arts and cultural sector. We saw in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes the potential of creativity and culture to create jobs, drive economic recovery and enhance social wellbeing, and they can help us do it again," Ardern says.

The funding includes:

Budget funding initiatives for the cultural sector include:

• $25 million for Creative New Zealand
• $1.4m for the Antarctic Heritage Trust
• $11.364m to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
• $18m for the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• $2m for the Museum Hardship Fund to be administered by Te Papa National

Budget funding announced for services:

• $31.8m for Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision (including funding to prevent the loss of the audio and visual collection which is rapidly deteriorating)
• $2.03m for Royal New Zealand Ballet
• $4m for Waitangi National Trust Board

The funding will help to support artists, creative practitioners, and arts organisations over the next two years.

Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni says the funding for national organisations, such as Te Papa, would help them maintain their core operations, in the face of the challenges posed by Covid-19.

"This funding for our national organisations will safeguard jobs, and ensure they are able to continue to care for our taonga and provide opportunities for New Zealanders to access the cultural experiences that are so important to our wellbeing.

"Our regional museums and galleries protect taonga and stories important to our communities. They provide jobs and important educational opportunities.

"They are major tourist attractions in our cities and regions, which will be important as we see the return of domestic tourism and look towards establishing a trans-Tasman bubble," Sepuloni says.

-RNZ