30 Mar 2026
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Through March and April, Creative New Zealand is releasing a series of short videos that share personal reflections on creativity from well-known and everyday New Zealanders, as part of the ongoing Creativity Makes Us – Auahatia! campaign. The campaign encourages New Zealanders to experience more creativity in their daily lives.
“Creativity is for everyone and we are all creative, whether we think we are or not,” says Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Gretchen La Roche. “But how it shows up in our lives will be different. You might be an avid reader, someone who loves attending live music or theatre, or someone who pursued creativity as a young person, like dance, writing or playing an instrument. Being creative is good for you – our research tells us that 63 percent of New Zealanders agree that the arts are good for their mental health and wellbeing, and we want to see that number go even higher,” says Gretchen.
This latest version of the Auahatia! campaign features several familiar faces including Miriama Kamo, Tom Sainsbury, Stacey Morrison, Jon Toogood, Suzy Cato, Lucy Blakiston and Keven Mealamu. Their stories of creativity will be shared alongside reflections from everyday New Zealanders, emphasising that New Zealand art has a role to play in uplifting us and increasing the vibrancy of our towns and cities.
Research shows that creative activities and arts engagement provide a wide range of social benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental and physical health, and social cohesion. There are also significant economic benefits, with the creative sector contributing over $17 billion to New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year (over 4 percent of GDP).
In an upcoming video, broadcaster and writer Stacey Morrison shares how Toi Māori offers something for everyone. “Whether you’re Māori or not, there are parts of Toi Māori that touch us all. When waiata bring you to tears and you feel connected, that is a way for us all to engage in Toi Māori,” Stacey says.
Comedian Tom Sainsbury shares his take on what makes New Zealand a uniquely creative country and his hopes that more people will get on board. “I would just encourage people to realise that you can be creative... it doesn’t have to be a career, you don’t even have to be good at it, but there’s something gorgeous about expressing yourself creatively,” Tom says.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who has shared their story of creativity,” says Gretchen. “Public support plays a huge role in ensuring we have a thriving arts and culture community, and reminding people why creativity matters is an important part of unlocking better support and conditions for our artists in future.”
After launching in February 2025, the Creativity Makes – Auahatia! campaign has been seen by over one million New Zealanders.
In te reo Māori, the word ‘auaha’ means ‘to create’. 'Auahatia' extends the word into an invitation to make or create.
Follow @creativitymakesus on Instagram for more, or watch the videos as they are released on Creativity makes us YouTube channel.
For more evidence and insights on the social and economic impact of art, culture, creativity and ngā toi Māori, check out the Creative New Zealand Fact Finder tool.