Dunedin City Council arts and culture group manager Bernie Hawke says the council has committed to investing $245,000 in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 financial years to support the implementation of the ''Ara Toi Otepoti: Dunedin's Arts and Culture Strategy''.
The key benefit of the strategy was it supported people working together, where people had previously been working in isolation.
''It provides that connection and framework and more direction, and with a relatively modest investment, we are trying to build on those common directions.''
Mr Hawke presented a report to the council in September with a summary of achievements in the first year.
The key projects undertaken in 2015-16 include the development of a public art framework for Dunedin.
It consists of two complementary reports: ''Rethinking Public Art in Dunedin'' and ''Public Art Framework 2016-21''.
The first independent report identifies new ways for the council and community to approach public art and possible new commissioning strategies for the future.
The report was designed to ''expand thinking'' about what constitutes public art, and advocates for a more ambitious approach in Dunedin.
The report identifies an opportunity to link existing and possible new public art precincts or ''clusters'' in the Octagon, the Warehouse Precinct, Steamer Basin and Harbour Mouth linked to the Otago Peninsula via Portobello Rd.
The second report includes practical considerations around processes such as commissioning and ownership.
The report recommends a three-tiered approach for developing and delivering new public art projects - leadership and partnerships, development of ideas and profile and engagement.
Mr Hawke said a community arts adviser was appointed in October 2015 and was being paid $54,000 for the full-time job.
A project co-ordinator, appointed in February 2016, was paid $19,000 for the part-time role.
The community arts adviser was co-ordinating a project to assist the Mayfair Theatre to develop a fundraising and organisational development plan to meet its operational and capital needs.
Irene Mosley had been contracted to develop this plan.
In the first year, the project co-ordinator has been working:
With the Otago Polytechnic on the development and delivery of NCEA unit standards to support students to identify career pathways in the creative sector.
Facilitating a project to support working artists, the creative and visitor hosting sectors in Dunedin. The intention is to develop these services and work with the arts sector to host studio visits, tours and workshops.
Provided business advice to more than 90 artists.
Focused on redefining Dunedin as a regional film office and initiatives to promote Dunedin as a film-friendly city.
Council initiative ''Bring It Home'' was designed to help promote music and film in Dunedin, working in partnership with New Zealand On Air.
Launched in July 2016, ''New Music'' is a New Zealand On Air funding programme which supports artists to record their songs and music videos and promote them to audiences.
Artists who were awarded funding to secure a ''top-up grant'' from the council of up to $2000 if they filmed their music video in Dunedin, or hired people or bought goods or services here.
The council expected to make up to eight awards by June 2017.
The first music video developed through ''Bring it Home'' is The Weight of Melted Snow by duo French For Rabbits.
A full-time fixed-term position for a city of literature director began in May 2016.
Key city of literature projects in 2015-16 include poems on parking meter tickets, a database of places of literary significance and a serialised fictional short stories published in the Otago Daily Times.
Creative Dunedin Partnership chairman Cr Aaron Hawkins said a ''fundamental ambition'' of the strategy was to make arts and culture ''part of everything the Dunedin City Council did as an organisation to get better outcomes''.
The amount of funding from the Government for arts and culture was ''shrinking'' so it was important for the council to ''play a role'' and help artists find alternative revenue streams.
''Local government is the biggest investor in arts and culture in the country - it's a huge part of that sector.''
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said the strategy would ''illuminate'' Dunedin's arts and culture.
The art collection at Hocken Collections and Dunedin Public Art Gallery would equal any in the nation, Mr Cull said.
Lifestyle and cultural offerings made a small city great, Mr Cull said.
''Ara Toi was designed to corral all that, co-ordinate it, and bring it out in the open and get some traction around appreciating what potential the creative sector had in building the community.''
