Innovative Waikato scheme pays artists basic income

What happens when you fund 10 artists a part time wage - a universal basic income - for an entire year, to help facilitate change within their community across an entire region?    Over 2022 and 2023 arts agency Creative Waikato trialled such a project. Whiria Te Tāngata, was given $630,000 from the Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s Innovating Aotearoa fund. A documentary exploring a region’s worth of wellbeing by Dan Inglis premieres in Kirikiriroa Hamilton on Monday night and Whiria te Tāngata has also been the subject of a positive Social Impact Report by Australian specialist consultants Huber Social.