13/10/2026
We are delighted to have been supporting Rory through the process of applying for funding, writing, recording and editing his first Radio Play! Artists, Jesse Samu and Stuart Devenie have mentored Rory through each part of the process. Its nearly ready to share so watch this space to have a listen....
Huge shout out to our partners and collaborators Northland Youth Theatre who have also walked alongside Rory and his whanau throughout this project.
Thank you Whangarei District Council Creative Communities Scheme for supporting such a great initiative.
The Creative Communities Scheme, funded by Creative New Zealand, is open for applications until 30 September 2026. Start here:
✨ https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Community-funding/Creative-Communities-Scheme
From the first round of 2026, eight community arts projects will share more than $34,000 in Creative Communities Scheme funding. There are three rounds per year, with the second round open now.
The funding round attracted 18 applications requesting more than $80,000, reflecting the significant demand for arts funding in Whangārei.
👹 Among the largest recipients was the Little Lost Art Festival, which received $5,584 to deliver a programme of hidden installations, pop-up performances and accessible arts experiences across Whangārei in October.
Designed as the ‘little sister’ to the Whangārei Fringe Festival, the Little Lost Art Festival aims to make art more visible and accessible in everyday community spaces.
📹 The committee also supported a film project with $5,000, providing training and professional experience for young actors and an emerging filmmaker while producing a short film exploring bullying, social inclusion, empathy and youth wellbeing.
📻 A standout project in this funding round is Beneath My Skin: Radio Drama Workshops, led by Rory Nielsen, which received $1,793. The project will give young people aged 11 to 18 the opportunity to produce, voice-act and engineer an original radio drama written by a local young playwright.
Remarkably, Rory is believed to be the youngest applicant ever to apply to the Whangārei District Creative Communities Scheme at just 12 years old, making his successful application an inspiring example of youth leadership and creativity in the District.
Pictured 📷: Rory Nielsen (12) with Kelly Gilbride, Stuart Devenie and Jesse Samu, who are some of the creative minds working on these radio plays.
🌺 The funding round also recognised the importance of cultural heritage through support for Lei Alofa – Necklaces of Love, awarded $4,000. Led by Sharna McKenzie, the project brings together around 120 Pacific community members and families to revive and share the traditional art of lei-making, a cultural practice that has become increasingly difficult to maintain following migration to New Zealand.
