Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra - the Auckland Philharmonia

the arts, and the following excerpts from page 63 of that document 1 articulate the significance andimportance of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Auckland:3.23 As a relatively small city by international standards, Auckland is fortunate to host a range ofsignificant art and cultural institutions. Some examples are the Auckland Art Gallery, the AucklandWar Memorial Museum, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the Auckland Theatre Company.Institutions such as these capture and sustain our history and creativity – they give expression to whowe are. Most importantly, they enrich Auckland’s place in the world, particularly through tourism.These institutions create a cornerstone to our cultural infrastructure crucial to competing in theinternational arena, and instil confidence in us of our place in the world.3.24 We aim to strengthen and make sustainable the institutions that are of an internationalstandard, thereby improving Auckland’s appeal as a tourism destination.In addition to cultural outcomes from the APO, Auckland Council also recognises importance of aresident orchestra for place‐promotion, tourism and economic development.New Zealand’s other major cities ‐ Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin ‐ willnot achieve populations in excess of a million this century whereas Auckland may well reach 2million by 2031 ‐ ie 40% of the country’s population ‐ and 2.5 million by 2041. 2The APO is therefore at a tipping point: it will very soon serve a population which is in excess of thatof all New Zealand when the national orchestra was founded in 1946. In addition the currentpopulation is more concentrated, less scattered, less sparse, more diverse, aging, moreinternationally aware and arguably more sophisticated in its tastes than was the case in 1946.The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra is responsibly planning for this discerning and growingpopulation and the demand for its services this is expected to generate.APO has been encouraged to embrace the new model of being a fulltime city symphony orchestrabut is constrained in its ability to maximise its potential.Solving this will be the final step in what has evidently been a successful introduction of themodern fulltime city symphony orchestra model to Auckland and New Zealand. APO believesapplying the 3:1 funding ratio (see section 2.1.3) would be a clear, simple and elegant solution toencourage city‐region orchestras to develop, growing New Zealand's orchestral sector.1 http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/PlansPoliciesPublications/theaucklandplan/DRAFTAUCKLANDPLAN/Pages/home.aspx2 http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/geographic‐areas/mapping‐trends‐in‐theauckland‐region/population‐change.aspxContextualising Auckland and the NZ orchestral sector Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Page 11