11 Sep 2025
Creative New Zealand’s illustrated explainer—created by award-winning illustrator and writer Toby Morris—has been updated to reflect figures from the current financial year and the most recent government budget.
Arts Funding 101 helps demystify how arts, culture and creativity are funded in Aotearoa, offering a clear snapshot of where funding comes from, how it’s distributed, and what it takes to sustain the infrastructure of creativity across the motu.
New Zealanders continue to value arts, culture and creativity for the way they enrich lives, strengthen communities, and contribute to a thriving economy. But the funding system behind it all can be complex. This updated explainer makes it easier to understand the infrastructure that supports the creative sector, and the value the sector creates.
Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Gretchen La Roche says it’s useful to keep the explainer up-to-date.
“The funding ecosystem that supports the arts is multi-layered and often complicated—so it’s important we all understand how it works,” Gretchen says.
This year, government support to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Manatū Taonga has dropped, and this will be felt within the ecosystem.
Gretchen says Arts Funding 101 is a tool for advocacy.
“To ensure fertile ground, we need the value of the arts to be better and more widely understood. We can all use the explainer to help grow that understanding and make the case for more fertile soil.”
“With local body elections currently happening, we need to remember that councils play a large role in shaping where culture lives and art is experienced. Let’s make sure creativity is part of the conversation.”
You can read the updated version of Arts Funding 101 on our website
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