05 Nov 2024
Over the past two years we’ve been working with communities even more closely to develop and implement important work, and as a result our work is better.
We’ve done this across a range of areas including developing new policy with the disability community, we’ve worked on strategy with Pacific and Māori communities, and consulted with the arts community on the redesign of our For the arts funding and support programme, which began in 2023/24.
While the new funding and support programme is only about 18 months old, our small teams have substantially changed the way they work to be more available on the phone, online and face to face – kanohi ki te kanohi.
And it’s working. We’ve seen a recent, positive spike in how practitioners engaging with our contestable grant offerings feel about their interactions and support from Creative New Zealand. They’ve reported feeling a greater sense that Creative New Zealand is trying to help them succeed, understands the bigger arts picture and is open to learning and new ideas. They’re more satisfied with the way they’re connecting with, and being supported by, Creative New Zealand. Overall, satisfaction increased from 48% in 2022/23 to 59% in 2023/24, even with lower available resources.
This improvement in satisfaction shows us we’re on the right track and that there is more progress to make. It’s satisfying and rewarding to see the considerable internal changes we’ve made having a positive impact. And this approach ultimately means we’ll continue to better serve the entire sector – with regular feedback from communities we’ll keep improving and fine-tuning overtime – and we’re committed to this.
Two weeks ago, we outlined changes in the way we support our multiyear investment clients in the Tōtara and Kahikatea programmes. The arts organisations we work with through these programmes tend to be larger and provide layers of delivery in their specialist areas. The purpose of these two programmes has been to offer multiyear funding – from three to six years. Multiyear funding is one of the best ways we can support the arts. Multiyear funding allows for the development of long-term planning, supports sustainability and business capability and crucially provides security that allows for experimentation – for artforms to be tested and boundaries to be pushed.
From the beginning of 2027 the Tōtara and Kahikatea programmes will no longer exist, replaced by a new multiyear model that will be open to all organisations to apply for.
One of the limits of the Tōtara and Kahikatea programmes was the restriction on the number of organisations able to apply to join either fund at one time; it’s been frustrating for many arts organisations who just haven’t had a look-in. Now eligibility to apply for multiyear funding for organisations will be open. This will be music to the ears of the organisations who’ve long wanted the opportunity to apply for this type of support. However, we’re attuned to the fact this change may be unsettling for those organisations that have received long-term funding through Kahikatea and Tōtara, as there will be more competition for the same resources. Our funding is not increasing for multiyear funding, but neither is it decreasing, and we hope this change will ultimately be fairer.
Thank you to the many who have already contributed thoughts and whakaaro to the better future we’re wanting create together in our support of arts organisations.
If you want to engage with our team on this work and are not sure who to contact, get in touch via: kōreromai@creativenz.govt.nz
We have heard resoundingly from organisations that multiyear support provides them with the greatest opportunity for development, success and sustainability. We’ve listened to that, and now have two years to look at our processes, refine and continue to work closely with arts organisations and groups, and those most affected, to ensure the move to this new model will open up possibilities and further support a dynamic and thriving arts sector in Aotearoa.
Waiho I te toipoto, kaua I te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not far apart
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