This week poet Tusiata Avia once again found herself in the news.
It could have been that she was honoured at the Beehive with the prestigious Senior Pacific Artist Award, for exceptional contributions to literature and performance at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards 2024.
It could have also been because her acclaimed theatre work, The Savage Coloniser Show, has just premiered in South Korea.
But rather, in a Tweet posted by the ACT. The tweet, in full, says:
"We're not sure that Creative NZ has picked up that this Government isn't keen on taxpayers' money being spent on hateful and racist vitriol. After awarding Tusiata Avia $60,000 last year, this week she received $25,000 for the Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Arts Pasifika Awards 2024.
"The Government is moving into another budget cycle and will be looking to make spending cuts at low-value departments. Creative NZ is continuing to tempt fate."
This isn't the first time ACT has referenced Avia's work.
Last year, Creative New Zealand granted a production company funding to stage The Savage Coloniser Show.
David Seymour, then ACT leader - put out a press release accusing the government of "giving so much to racism" and that the government should apologise.
The same day the tweet was posted, Tusiata Avia - a 2020 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate - performed a poem at the 2024 Laureate Awards event. The poem was commissioned by the Arts Foundation and it’s being broadcast on RNZ for the first time here.
