Ministry for Culture and Heritage
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 September 1999 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdiction | New Zealand |
| Headquarters |
Public Trust Building 131–135 Lambton Quay Wellington 6011 |
| Annual budget | Total budgets for 2016/17 Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage $296,252,000 Vote Sport and Recreation $89,195,000 |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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| Website | www |
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) (Māori: Manatū Taonga) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on policies and issues involving the arts, culture, heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors, and participating in functions that advance or promote those sectors.
The Ministry was founded in 1999 with the merger of the former Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the history and heritage functions of the Department of Internal Affairs, as well as some functions from the Department of Conservation and Ministry of Commerce. The purpose of the merger of functions and departments was to create a coherent, non-fragmented overview of the cultural and heritage sector, rather than spreading services and functions across several departments.
Minister for Cultural Affairs Marie Hasler oversaw the transition of functions into the new agency. Opposition Labour MP Judith Tizard, who would later serve as an Associate Minister for the ministry in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand, accused the restructure of being "all hype, no substance," lacking the funding and human resource necessary to be effective.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs had been created in 1991; prior to this, the Department of Internal Affairs had provided oversight and support for arts and culture functions.
At the time of its establishment, the responsible minister for the ministry was the Minister for Culture and Heritage. This position is now titled the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
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