16 Jun 2023
Creative New Zealand’s second submission to the Future for Local Government review highlights the transformative potential for arts, culture and ngā toi to improve wellbeing in communities across Aotearoa.
Our latest submission makes eight recommendations for using arts, culture and ngā toi as tools to improve our collective wellbeing and explains why creativity should sit at the centre of local government in New Zealand, into the future. Each recommendation is supported by a series of tangible actions and case studies from across the country, which help demonstrate what the recommendations could look like in practice.
Arts, culture, creativity and ngā toi have an essential role to play in the wellbeing of our communities.” says Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright. “The evidence shows that when we support arts, culture and creativity, we also support the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of New Zealanders.”
Creative New Zealand collaborated with Sport New Zealand as we developed our submissions, as both organisations deliver wellbeing outcomes at the local level in their respective areas. This strong alignment is demonstrated in a series of statements about shared wellbeing outcomes within the submission.
During the development of last year’s submission, our engagement with local government stakeholders and arts and culture champions revealed a collective vision for a local government system where art and creativity are a lens on all projects, and where participation in creative and cultural experiences is equitable for all.
This year's submission builds on this vision, responds to the Future for Local Government panel’s draft report, and expands on Creative New Zealand’s position that arts, culture, creativity and ngā toi are deeply connected with individual and community wellbeing.
We acknowledge and thank everyone whose insights and whakaaro have so richly fed into our submission, from councils across Aotearoa, including mayors and elected representatives, arts and culture leads, and Māori strategy leads.
The Future for Local Government Panel has a unique opportunity to strengthen both democracy and social cohesion, by building shared understanding about the benefits of increasing cultural wellbeing for all New Zealanders.
You can read Creative New Zealand’s full submission here (pdf. 1.87KB)
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