Te Waka Auaha Toi | Creative Bay of Plenty has announced the appointment of three new trustees and a new chair, marking the beginning of a bold new chapter for the organisation.

This refreshed leadership team brings a wealth of experience, passion, and vision - further strengthening Creative Bay of Plenty’s position as the cornerstone partner for arts, culture, and creativity across Tauranga city and the Western Bay of Plenty district.

With this renewed governance, Creative Bay of Plenty is poised to deepen its impact, foster greater collaboration, and champion the cultural vibrancy that defines the region.

Lindsay Price, who has been elected as Creative Bay of Plenty’s new chairperson, joined the board as a trustee in 2023. She is a strategic communications specialist with experience in government relations, public policy, media relations, and stakeholder management. A passionate advocate for the performing arts, Lindsay is also a qualified speech and drama teacher.

Successful theatre producer and kaiwhakahaere (artistic director) of Tuatara Collective, Jason Te Mete (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) is one of the new trustees. He is a multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of professional experience as a freelance actor, singer, dancer, director, pianist, and playwright/writer. He is passionate about crafting fresh indigenous narratives for stage and screen while actively mentoring rangatahi, helping young people enter the performing arts industry.

Ray Day is chair of Public Art Ōmokoroa, a charitable trust dedicated to creating public artworks that reflect and enhance the heritage, diversity, and character of Ōmokoroa. He brings an extensive background as a senior manager in local government across Tauranga and Auckland to the board, including roles establishing robust policies and solving complex issues in areas such as building consent regulation and governance.

The third new trustee is chartered accountant Bevan Spalding, who brings over 30 years of experience in accounting, having worked at Inland Revenue, large corporate accounting firms, and now has his own small boutique firm. His expertise spans general accounting and tax advice, debt management, growth strategy development, and governance and training for charitable, non-profit, and Māori organisations. Bevan has previously served on school and not-for-profit boards.

“Ray, Bevan and Jason complement the bench strength of our existing Trustees and bring a diverse skill set and range of experiences to the Board,” Creative Bay of Plenty chair Lindsay Price said.

“Working together with our fantastic team, we’re strongly positioned to continue to grow our impact by supporting creatives across the Bay.

“Our team already punches well above its weight in the delivery of advocacy for the arts, supporting connection and capability building, telling the stories of our incredible local creative community. Momentum is building for Tauranga Moana to become a proud creative capital. We’re excited about what the next season will bring.”

Creative Bay of Plenty was founded in 1969 as the Tauranga Arts Council and is the umbrella organisation for arts, culture and creativity covering Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.

In partnership with local councils and with the support of regional funders (in particular TECT), CBOP supports and advocates for the growth of arts, culture and creativity due to their significant contribution to the vibrancy and wellbeing of communities, as well as their positive impact on economic growth and prosperity.

CBOP has a focus on making connections, capability building, advocacy and promoting creatives and their activities. Working closely with local government, schools and educators, iwi, other non-profits and umbrella organisations, funders and the private sector, the organisation focuses on ensuring a vibrant, expressive, and diverse sense of creative community to enhance quality of life through the arts.

CBOP considers its vision and mission to be essential for a healthy city and region - with arts, culture and creativity recognised as a driver of social cohesion and community wellbeing.