devonportflagstaff.co.nz
July 31, 2026
Plan unveiled for new $500K Domain playground... p4
Women’s sports hub will have premium facilities... p5
Interview: Folk fan and hospo face Chris Priestley... p22-23
Depot reviewing operations after funding slashed
Creative New Zealand, a major and long-standing funder of the Depot arts hub, has unexpectedly declined funding to the Devonport organisation. “We were very surprised and disappointed by the decision,” says Depot director Amy Saunders. “Depot has consistently met Creative New Zealand’s funding criteria and delivered the outcomes expected of us over many years.”
In 2024/25, the Depot received $180,000 from Creative New Zealand “towards programme delivery for two years”. Depot board co-chair Wayne Dyer says the organisation will need to carefully review how it delivers some programmes and services within available resources. “Increasingly, our future will rely on support from patrons, businesses, philanthropic partners and members of our community who believe
creativity is an essential part of a thriving place to live,” he says. The Depot, which did not respond to a Flagstaff query about how much it sought in the most recent funding round, believes it is one of many arts groups across the country affected by funding cuts. In its annual return as a charity for the year to June 2025, it said it had eight full-time and 10 part-time employees.
MP’s silence on Peninsula plan prompts protest
Feelings clear... Opponents of Peninsula Capital’s plans for Devonport visited the office of North Shore MP Simon Watts last Saturday: (from left) Lindsay Mackie, Avril Cowie, Chrissie and Max Thomson, Margot McRae, Pauline Baker, Gayle Morris, Bernice Beachman and Richard Jones. Stories on proposed development, pages 2, 8 and 9; editorial on Watts’ stance, page 14.