Associate Board Member update with Kiri Richards

Kia ora koutou. I’m about six months into the role of Associate Board Member for Footnote Dance New Zealand as part of the programme the Board runs to support sustainable arts governance. I come from mainly management and delivery roles, so this is my first foray into organisational governance, and I have really enjoyed the experience.

I have had the opportunity to participate in Footnote Board meetings, and to listen and learn from those who have spent years in arts governance. The current Board members bring diverse experience and expertise spanning finance, law, technology and HR policy, as well as cultural expertise and arts industry experience. I have also had the opportunity to meet with some of the management team to get a better understanding of the challenges facing arts organisations and how strong governance can help navigate those challenges.

I have come to fully appreciate just how critical fund raising and revenue generation is to organisations like Footnote. Even more so in the current context with increasing costs, increasing competition for grants-based funding, and as the industry and society continue to transition out of the COVID environment and back into live performances.

It is an exciting time for Footnote Dance New Zealand, with the recent successful run of the IYKYK (If You Know You Know) double-bill show, and focus now shifting to gearing up for the next season to deliver on Footnote’s artistic strategy and finding a new premises to establish a permanent home for the company.