Go further Banks

John Banks is making noise about the proposed $1.6 million tax-payer funding of New Zealand's Got Talent.

John Banks is unimpressed at the injection of $1.6 million of taxpayers' money to help fund 'New Zealand's Got Talent'. Part of the cost of making the series is coming from public arts and culture funding. But the ACT leader says while the show is nice to have, it's something the country can't afford when we're borrowing millions a week to stay afloat. He thinks a commercial sponsor should be found.

Of course I agree, but would nevertheless make this observation. If I had to choose where I least minded the 'arts and culture' funding going it would probably be on a mainstream popular show like this. Rather than some avant-garde, minority-taste 'art' of which we have seen many dreadful examples. At least a talent show which ultimately rests on  public voting  can actually sort out the wheat from the chaff. Unlike those elitists who accept funding applications for pointless installations at public galleries - the only kind that will host them.

But Banks should really have gone further (and may have but not been reported) and objected to the entire arts and culture budget which has grown obscenely during the recession. Heritage, Culture and Recreation spending in millions from 2007 to 2012 (final year is an estimate):

2007 $844
2008 $1,107
2009 $1,002
2010 $1,281
2011 $1,966
 2012 $2,490