New Zealand Music Foundation Set To Launch At Event in Auckland

Organisations that use music to enrich the lives of Kiwis in need and members of the local music community who require emergency assistance will receive much-needed support following the formal launch of the New Zealand Music Foundation this evening at Vector Arena in Auckland.

Patron Neil Finn heads the Foundation and trustees include Campbell Smith, Barbara Ward, John Cox and John Burns, Malcolm Black, musician Don McGlashan, RIANZ head Chris Caddick, APRA CEO Anthony Healey, Jana Rangooni from Mediaworks and Music Commission chief Cath Andersen.

The trustees are driven by the common belief that a huge amount of good can be achieved through music and that it can be used in all sorts of ways to improve the lives of New Zealanders.

"We've all seen how powerful music can be, not only in providing the soundtrack to our lives, but also how it can really help people in need," explains trust chair Campbell Smith.

"Equally importantly, we have a very small music community working very hard to eke out a living out in such a small country. If disaster befalls, just surviving can be impossibly hard,” he adds.

So the aims of the New Zealand Music Foundation are simple. First, to provide financial support to suitable entities that work toward enriching the lives of New Zealanders in need through music, and secondly, to provide emergency financial assistance to members of the New Zealand music community who are suffering hardship, illness or distress.

Revenue will stem from a range of sources including a star-studded extravaganza of Kiwi music at Vector Arena in November this year, curated by Neil Finn and Don McGlashan. It is intended that this will become an annual event.

For further information about grant applications and funding distribution, please visit the Music Foundation website: www.musicfoundation.co.nz.