30 Jan 2017
The Arts Council has clarified its leadership expectations of organisations funded through the Toi Tōtara Haemata (Arts Leadership) Investment programme.
An independent review of Creative New Zealand’s investment programmes recommended the concept of arts leadership be retained, but that expectations be more clearly described. In October Creative New Zealand asked organisations in its investment programmes for their views on what effective arts sector leadership would mean. There was a generous and thoughtful response from the sector.
Why is it important to clarify expectations of leadership?
Organisations within Toi Totara Haemata (Tōtara) play critical roles in supporting New Zealand’s arts, which is acknowledged and appreciated by the Arts Council. This clarification is intended to increase their already significant impact for the benefit of the whole sector.
This will be the first time that Creative New Zealand and the arts sector have a shared understanding of the aspirations, behaviours and activities expected of leadership organisations. Up to now expectations have been developed in discussion with individual Tōtara organisations as part of setting their KPIs (key performance indicators).
Creative New Zealand understands, however, that different organisations will deliver more fully to some aspects of the leadership expectations than others at different times and stages of their development.
What are Creative New Zealand's expectations of leadership?
Arts organisations in the Tōtara programme will be expected to:
- demonstrate high-quality achievement and/or impact across all creative work, services and in the operation and governance of the organisation
- encourage and engage in an open, generous and collaborative approach to sharing resources and expertise, both internally and externally, in the interests of artform, audience and work force development
- create and support opportunities to build and develop infrastructure* and professional skills in or across artforms
- proactively and effectively engage with audiences over a sustained period of time
- demonstrate commitment to diversity in the arts through inclusive practices in governance, programming and delivery to New Zealand’s diverse communities
- recognise the role in the arts of Māori as tangata whenua
- recognise and support the arts of the Pacific Island peoples of New Zealand
- actively contribute to and participate in advocacy for the arts in New Zealand.
What’s next?
The new expectations will come into effect from July 2017 and will be included as Tōtara organisations negotiate their funding contracts. Creative New Zealand will talk with each organisation about how it might deliver to the expectations and where any emphasis will be placed.
Creative New Zealand will so look forward to collectively discussing and developing the concept of leadership further with Tōtara organisations. In the meantime it will continue to streamline its processes for both investment programmes Tōtara and Toi Uru Kahikatea (Arts Development). This includes reducing the number of KPIs organisations are expected to report on, while making them simpler and more meaningful.
*Creative New Zealand’s legislation requires it to support a professional art infrastructure at a national and community level. Arts infrastructure is defined as the elements essential for New Zealanders to create, present, distribute and participate in the arts.
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