Squeezed into small and inadequate offices above Cambridge Terrace, the New Zealand Students' Arts Council (NZSAC) is striving to encourage, promote and support the entire spectrum of the arts and entertainment in New Zealand.

Few students on campus know what the New Zealand Students' Arts Council is. Even fewer students realise that most are paying a $1.20 levy from the Students' Association fee each year to be members.

The Arts Council is a student body funded from student levies and public grants which organises tours by New Zealand and international artists. The tours are designed to promote interest in the arts in New Zealand and to present shows which students and the public would not usually have the opportunity to see. In the past the Council has toured Split Enz, Limbs Dance Company, and poets Sam Hunt and Gary McCormick. These four are also examples of artists who have been able to gain essential experience and recognition in New Zealand through touring with the Council.

This year's programme began in a big way during Orientation. As part of the programme the Council organised a tour by "the man with a thousand faces" Jean-Paul Bell. Described as mime, comic, clown, fool, actor, satirist, singer and dancer, he proved himself to be all of these. In association with the organisers of the Sweet waters Festival, the Students' Arts Council also presented the brilliant live New Zealand rock 'n roll bands Top Scientists and General Public. Slick Stage (Peta Rutter and Peter Rowell) and The Topp Twins completed the Orientation programme.

To link the Council's tours and activities together NZSAC produced a free tabloid newspaper, "Touring Papers". Designed to act as an "umbrella" for the Council's activities and to show NZSAC as a cohesive student body, it gave details of all of the Council's work (NZSAC will be presenting more than 30 performances in the first term alone) and news about special discounts for students throughout the year.

Tours in 1981

The Council have big plans for the rest of 1981. Beginning in April, there will be a four week tour of New Zealand playwright Mervyn Thompson's play Songs For The Judges. Dealing with the treatment of the Maori people by the law courts from 1840 to the present day, Thompson has used satire and seriousness to produce, as one reviewer has stated, "an event of some importance in the theatrical history of this country."

Later this term the Council is assisting with a tour of the Oxford University Revue, and in June Point Blank, a cabaret from London is planned. The cabaret, featuring Alex Harding and Alan Pope deals with the contradictions of being openly gay in the 1980s. Again it is sophisticated and ironic, and mixes glitter with seriousness.

Other tours will include a group of female New Zealand poets and musicians; Wellington's Town and Country Players; River, a fire-eater, juggler, mime from the United States; and rock bands from New Zealand, Australia and possibly from Britain.

As in the past the Students' Arts Council will be holding seminars during the year. For students involved with student newspapers, radio, theatre, lighting, organising dances, concerts or other cultural and entertainment events, they will be useful and practical. The seminars are designed to enthuse, direct and give confidence to students in what they are doing. It is hoped that technical seminars on theatre writing, for example, may be held this year.

Apart from raising their own profile on campus, the main aim of the Students' Arts Council this year is to entertain, to stimulate new interests and to increase New Zealand's awareness and appreciation of a diverse range of arts. To this end rock music, radical theatre, classical music, modern dance, mime, poetry, ethnic dance, film, photography, graphic and fine art have all been toured by the Council in the past.

National Significance of Arts Council

NZSAC also see themselves as having a nationally significant role. The Council is New Zealand's only national touring organisation involved in all forms of the arts. Although public funding from the QEII Arts Council, the Ministry of Recreation and Sport and the Youth Initiative Fund does obligate a certain public duty, the Council see themselves as playing a more altruistic role. They hope to extend the arts in New Zealand beyond the campus into the community, and to develop a greater audience appreciation for all forms of the arts. The Council also hope to act as a catalyst for groups that would not otherwise have the opportunity to tour. With no profit motive, (the tours work on a break-even budget), public funding, and a ready student audience, NZSAC are able to give new artists necessary exposure and experience.

As a mark of its success, the Council has seen none of its past artists drop out. For example, the 1979 NZSAC Artist-on-Campus, carver Greg Whakataka has recently completed a massive canoe project. Since December 1979 Whakataka has been carving a traditional Tahitian double-hulled canoe which will be sailed from Tahiti to New Zealand in November this year.

New Zealand actress Cathy Downes who toured nationally with the Council last year is now working in Sydney theatre. Her five week, sell-out tour with her one woman play The Case of Katherine Mansfield consolidated her reputation as an actress. This year she will have two major roles in Sydney's Nimrod Theatre productions: in Chekov's The Three Sisters and in a Czechoslovakian play Protest by Vaclav Havel.

Sam Hunt, who has toured with the Council four times since 1972, and is here again this year, has had another selection of his poetry published. Entitled Sam Hunt: Collected Poems the book is considered a major publishing breakthrough. And, 1980's Artists-on-Campus Terry Archer and David Waterman are now working full-time as mural painters around New Zealand.

Dozens of other tours have been carried out by the Arts Council, each working on a break-even budget. While the student levies and grants from public funding bodies cover the Council's administration costs (salaries, rent, power, stationery, postage, freight, and so on) the tours must break even. So far, this has always worked, with the most popular tours such as Red Mole and Limbs in 1980 subsidising the Council's less financial activities. But, if administration costs become any greater, schemes such as the artists-on-campus may have to be given up.

As always, student support is essential and the Council hopes that more people will take part in the 1981 programme or help with on-campus work for tours. Each tour involves an enormous amount of planning and preparation. This is all done by the Council. From selecting each artist, to drawing up a budget and an itinerary, and organising transport, publicity, venues and accommodation, down to the last detail, it is all thoroughly worked out by the staff of NZSAC. Through detailed organisation, few major problems have occurred in the Council's history and the staff are convinced that the enormous satisfaction and the good times they have during a tour make it all worthwhile.

Who's Who in NZSAC

Three full time workers staff the Council. They are Chairperson Brian Sweeney, Director Gisella Carr and Assistant Director Greg Fahey. The honorary position of Treasurer is held by Peter Beach. All are exuniversity students which makes it possible to lessen the gap between the students on campus and the staff on the Council.

Sweeney, as Chairperson and elected head of the Council sees his job as obtaining an understanding between the students and staff. A political science graduate from Waikato University and the 1978 editor of "Nexus", the Waikato Students' Union newspaper, he has begun the second year of his two year appointment.

Gisella Carr, the 1981 Director of the Council has worked extensively on the NZSAC's programme. Graduating from the University of Canterbury in 1979 with a BA degree in French and English, she had been active in the Canterbury University Dramasoc and UCSA's Radio U, and worked on the 1979 Students Arts Festival.

The new Assistant Director, Greg Fahey, is also from Canterbury where he worked as the first full time Activities Officer for the UCSA during 1980.

Peter Beach, the Council's treasurer for 1981 was the editor of Salient in 1979 and was VUWSA's Finance Officer in 1980.

The staff's wide and differing backgrounds in student arts, entertainment, cultural and political affairs has meant that much of the campus spirit has remained in the Council's programme.

One problem that faces them all is the NZSAC offices in Cambridge Tee. They are too small, badly designed and totally inadequate as a working area.

Massive Membership Provides Problems

The present uncertain structure of the Council presents another problem. NZSAC's 150 to 200,000 members are drawn from universities, teachers colleges, technical institutes and community colleges throughout New Zealand. But the different facilities available for touring on each campus and the different numbers and types of students at each institution (eg residential, full time, part time) has meant that the Council, while still visiting Whangarei and Invercargill, has been forced to concentrate on the six main university centres (which are currently paying 80% of the NZSAC levies).

To help balance out the situation a tiered levy system was introduced. The six main universities (this was excluding Lincoln) made up Categroy A and were to pay $1.20 per annum; training colleges, large institutes and Lincoln constituted Category B and paid 90 cents, small techs (such as Carrington, CIT and Waikato) made up Category C, and community colleges, paying the smallest levy constituted Category D.

However, despite the new levy system, it still appeared to be impossible to satisfy every demand of every campus in New Zealand. Tech Institutes still questioned the value of the Council's activities for the levies the tech students were paying. Although the Council tried to negotiate with NZTISA (New Zealand Technical Institute Students' Association), to meet their needs, increase NZSAC tour publicity, and to diversify the Council's programme, little agreement was reached, and in November last year, the techs gave 12 months notice of their proposed withdrawal from the Council.

Now the issue has boiled down to one of money and levies. The Council is unwilling to commit itself to a programme of arts and entertainment if the techs do decide to withdraw and refuse to pay their levies. The existing arrangement between the Council and the techs does show flaws from both sides. To continue in the present way would be to the detriment of both parties. However, it would seem to be a good idea to maintain some association between NZSAC and NZTISA. A realistic appraisal of the situation and a more flexible arrangement between the two is what both parties are looking for and should offer some sort of solution. Meanwhile, the situation remains in limbo.

Margaret Patterson