Christchurch’s Arts Centre has secured ratepayer funding for the next decade.

On Tuesday, the Christchurch City Council, promoted by public support, voted to provide the Arts Centre with $750,000 annually for the next two years, followed by $500,000 annually for the subsequent eight years.

This funding is in addition to a previously allocated $110,000 grant for the years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Initially, the Arts Centre said it needed $1.83 million to stay open, but that was untrue.

In May, Arts Centre management has conceded that its funding requirements for the next year were not as substantial as publicly advocated.

Councillor Kelly Barber criticised the Art Centre management for their campaign.

“They conducted a campaign to bring that to our attention, which is fine, but I feel like they brought a tank to a cup of tea, which should have just been a discussion, and we could have got there, if they’d taken a different approach. But they didn’t. And so, we’re here today.”