Creative New Zealand:
- invests in the development of the arts and opportunities for all New Zealanders to participate in and have access to the arts
- supports New Zealand artists and arts organisations through funding programmes
- builds the capacity of the arts sector by providing resources and capability building programmes
- develops new audiences and markets for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally
- researches the arts to underpin our policies, programmes and initiatives
- promotes the value of New Zealand arts and artists nationally and internationally
- advocates with government, the private sector and the community to increase the profile and role of the arts in the lives of New Zealanders
- advises government on issues relating to the arts.
Main activities
In order to achieve this, Creative New Zealand undertakes the following main activities:
- Recurrently funded organisations: Supporting the development of sustainable infrastructure in the arts sector by funding selected organisations for an annual, two or three-year programme of activity
- Arts organisation development programme: Delivering a programme of capability building initiatives aimed at increasing the skills of arts organisations and practitioners, including arts leadership
- Contestable funding: Supporting projects that focus on the development of New Zealand arts, and artists, arts organisations and practitioners
- Special opportunities for artists and practitioners: Supporting residencies, fellowships and awards that provide selected artists and practitioners with opportunities that are not available through contestable funding
- Creative Communities Scheme: Supporting participation in the arts at a local level and the range and diversity of arts available to communities. Creative Communities Scheme funding is devolved to the seventy-three TLAs to distribute in their local community
- Audience and market development: Encouraging and supporting opportunities that develop audiences and markets for New Zealand arts nationally
- International projects: Supporting New Zealand arts to achieve international success, including opportunities that develop audiences and markets internationally
- Toi Ake: Supporting the preservation and development of mahi toi for hapū/iwi
- Tohunga Tukunga mentoring programme: Supporting Tohunga to share their knowledge and skills with senior Māori artists
- toi ihoTM: Supporting a registered trademark denoting authenticity and quality for Māori arts and crafts
- New Zealand Authors’ Fund: Compensating New Zealand authors for loss of income through the holdings of their books in New Zealand libraries
Creative New Zealand receives $15,689,000 through the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and a grant of $22,125,000 from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board.
In 2007/08, Creative New Zealand provided $31,289,000 in funding through grants, projects and initiatives to artists and arts organisations. This funding supported 2,489 community arts projects, approximately 500 projects and funding to thirty-six recurrently funded professional arts organisations.