By the Explore Palmerston North news desk · Published Thursday 12 November 2026
The Palmerston North Performing Arts Trust has given about $8,000 in seed funding to five local groups through its 2026/27 Arts Heart scheme, backing music, dance and theatre projects for young people.
- Who
- Girls Rock Aotearoa, Anomaly Dance Group, Manawatū Jazz Club, Six to Sixty Choir, Primarily Playing with Shakespeare
- Coming up
- Anomaly Dance Group holiday masterclass (December 2026); Primarily Playing with Shakespeare programme (June 2027)
- Run by
- Palmerston North City Council, on behalf of the Palmerston North Performing Arts Trust
The grants were marked at an awards morning tea on Friday 6 November, where trustee Mikel O’Connell and Mayor Grant Smith, who also sits on the trust, handed certificates to representatives of the Manawatū Jazz Club, Anomaly Dance Group and Primarily Playing with Shakespeare, according to the council’s release.
Where the money is going
- Girls Rock Aotearoa: venue hire for To The Front Te Papaioea, which ran in October 2026.
- Anomaly Dance Group: venue hire for a five-day Masterclass Intensive Holiday programme in December 2026.
- Manawatū Jazz Club Incorporated: running the High Schools’ Jazz Competition at the 2027 Manawatū International Jazz & Blues Festival.
- Six to Sixty Choir: venue hire for its October 2026 show We Will Rock You Young@Part, in which 80 children prepared for two performances.
- Primarily Playing with Shakespeare (Sheridan Hickey): delivering its programme in June 2027.
The release does not say how the money was split between the five groups.
Mayor Grant Smith said, “Palmerston North has a great arts scene, we are a real nursery”, and noted that “Behind every performance are hours of rehearsals and teaching.” He said he was looking forward to seeing the young performers on stages such as the Regent on Broadway, the Globe Theatre and Centrepoint Theatre.
How the scheme works
The scheme pays for teaching projects for young performers, such as masterclasses, workshops and summer schools, and these often end with a show that families and the public can come to.
The Palmerston North Performing Arts Trust dates from 1998, when it took over the running of the former Eva and Elsie Laing Arts Trust; it became a formal trust in 2000 and gave out its first grants two years later. Its trustees are Margaret May (chair), Eli Hancock, Lottie Perry, Mikel O’Connell and Mayor Grant Smith.
Local performing arts groups thinking about a project for young performers can read reports from past recipients on the council’s Arts Heart scheme page, and watch it for the next round, as applications for the 2026 round closed in September.
- Palmerston North City Council: Arts Heart grants help Palmerston North's young performers grow, released 9 November 2026
Explore Palmerston North news desk: news@explorepalmerstonnorth.co.nz. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we’ll correct it.
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