How the arts are funded

Toby Morris says the idea for a funding explainer captured his imagination.

“It's really important people understand all the work, skills and support that goes into putting creative work into the world. It doesn't just magically appear, it’s work – and it's so important for everyone that creative work is supported and resourced,” he says.

“Even as someone who has worked in the arts for decades, I still wouldn't say I've ever properly understood the big picture on how arts funding works, so I think it's helpful to explain it more clearly.” Says Toby.

Stephen Wainwright, Chief Executive at Creative New Zealand says the new explainer provides valuable context about support for the arts in Aotearoa.

“Telling this story is long overdue. We know the funding ecosystem is complicated, so we wanted an engaging story to explain the many layers involved in creating vibrant arts experiences for New Zealanders,” he says. “We’re demystifying what sits beneath the surface: the infrastructure of arts funding, and where Creative New Zealand sits within the ecosystem. We hope this opens up conversations and stimulates thinking about how we can strengthen support for the arts, by understanding the funding environment and its impact on the sector,” says Stephen.

Stephen says Arts Funding 101 is a tool for advocacy.

“We're glad to add this to the suite of resources we’ve been creating for arts advocates to tell a more unified story across the arts in Aotearoa,” he says.

 You can view and share Arts Funding 101 here.

A note on research:

The dollar figures in this resource are taken from publicly available information and are not intended to reflect every possible source of funding for the arts. This resource highlights the crucial role of public investment from central and local government; its development has highlighted gaps around available data for other parts of the ecosystem, such as corporate sponsorship and iwi support for the arts. We’re aware that many of these numbers fluctuate regularly, so have used data sourced at the time of development.