National spokesman fears arts have suffered under Clark - Video

Maintaining the same funding = you would have to be an idiot not to realise this is effectively a cut!
It is the same as not increasing someones wages to cope with rising costs of living!

Aside from what Alien said it'd also be pretty terrible to live in a country where only the art that was profitable remained.

Harry, I tend to think that often it brings more back into the community than they are given. Take sports as you have mentioned. Take the America's cup. The last time the govt gave around ten million dollars to Team NZ, our competing in that cup brought over $100 million back into the economy through contracts that NZ companies made because of Team NZ's Performance. When we held the cup here, it brought half a billion back into the economy. So for the little amount the government spent, it brought far more back into the economy. The same goes for arts. The funding brings back into the economy more money than they are given. It all generates jobs, which generates more tax for the government. You have to spend money to make money.