08 Jul 2026
Creative New Zealand has today advised applicants of funding outcomes under Tiers 3 and 4 of the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund 2026 (AOG 2026), a significant, multi-year investment by the national arts development agency.
More than $104 million, over three years, has been offered to 94 arts organisations from around Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Strong arts organisations are essential arts infrastructure for a confident and creative New Zealand,” Arts Council Chair Kent Gardner says. “They bring people together, inspire new ideas, and share our stories with the world. In a year of real financial pressure, multi-year funding gives organisations the certainty to plan ahead, deepen their impact, and keep creating lasting value for communities right across the country.”
The vital role of arts organisations
Arts organisations provide significant support to the arts in their communities. They present and advance their artforms with high-quality work, they bring enjoyment and connection to people and communities, and they’re important employers and businesses in their own right.
The ‘multiplier effect’ they have is also significant. According to 2024 research from Massey University and the University of Canterbury, every $1 spent on live performance returns $3.20 in benefits to the wider community, driving local hospitality, retail, tourism and regional employment. The 2025 Arts and Creative Sector Profile by Infometrics puts the sector’s economic contribution at an $18.5 billion share of New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The support offered to 94 arts organisations today provides vital backing to a wide range of artforms, encompassing customary and contemporary ngā toi Māori and Pacific arts, dance, theatre, music and opera, literature, visual arts, craft/object arts, and festivals. A number of organisations delivering powerful outcomes for whole artforms, groups or communities have also been supported.
Multi-year funding provides strong stability for arts organisations, helping them to plan and deliver their services more confidently and securely. This is in line with Creative New Zealand’s long-term strategic direction under Tū Mai Rā, Toi Aotearoa, and with Amplify: A Creative and Cultural Strategy for New Zealand.
This round sees 82 organisations receiving three years of support, with 33 organisations offered multi-year funding for the first time; 20 organisations were funded through the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund in the 2025/26 year.
Arts organisations are operating in very tough times
While celebrating the incredible breadth of work supported, and the impact it will have, Creative New Zealand acknowledges the extremely challenging environment for this funding round. The quality of applications was exceptionally high, and demand for funding continues to significantly outstrip the available budget.
“We know that organisations across the arts community are facing severe financial pressures, including from rising operational costs and increasing demands on other funding bodies,” says Gretchen La Roche, Creative New Zealand’s Chief Executive.
“Many are working harder than ever to make an impact in what is a very difficult environment. Despite these challenges, organisations are continuing to deliver meaningful programmes and deep community impact, contributing clear and long-lasting benefits for New Zealand.”
Creative New Zealand is navigating its own constrained financial environment, managing reduced Government funding alongside a static lotteries funding path. In response, the agency is actively reviewing its own operations to ensure every dollar is directed where it can have the greatest impact. Creative New Zealand remains fiercely committed to getting as much funding and support into the arts community as possible, and is actively moving to build more partnerships and investment in the arts and ngā toi, from a wider range of sources.
About this funding round
Today’s funding is offered as a contribution to organisations’ artistic and operational costs. This is a deliberate shift away from funding specific activities to allowing organisations themselves to determine how best to use the funding provided.
In total, the combined request for funding under Tiers 3 and 4 was over $201 million, over three years. Because demand far exceeded the available budget, tough decisions had to be made. Creative New Zealand was unable to fund every organisation that applied, or at the levels requested, and recognises that these outcomes will have real and keenly felt impacts for some organisations and groups.
In around three-quarters of cases, organisations and groups have been offered funding that’s similar to or higher than their previous investment. Organisations receiving lower levels of funding are not expected to deliver the exact same volume or programme of work with fewer resources.
These outcomes reflect the evolution of Creative New Zealand’s support since the 1990s, moving away from a sector dominated by a few large institutions. Today, more New Zealanders engage locally through regional providers and festivals, with ngā toi Māori and Pacific arts increasingly recognised as vital parts of the arts in New Zealand. The assumption that impact requires massive scale has shifted; many lean, agile organisations now deliver profound community benefits. In the face of modern financial and operational pressures, this round prioritises the core support these organisations need to thrive.
The Arts Organisations and Groups Fund 2026 provides support to arts organisations and groups across four funding tiers, with today’s announcement covering Tier 3 and Tier 4. For both Tier 3 (from $125,000 to $500,000) and Tier 4 (over $500,000), funding decisions were made by Creative New Zealand’s board, the Arts Council. This reflects the significance of the total investment into the arts community through this round. Decisions on applications to Tiers 1 and 2 will be notified in September 2026.
What happens next
Funding offers have been made to 94 arts organisations today.
For organisations or groups not funded across the wider 2026 round, future paths for support are being established. Creative New Zealand is currently working on long-term systemic changes to strengthen support for the sector. Beginning in 2027, funding opportunities will evolve into two distinct streams depending on the nature of an organisation or group's work: regional funding, delivered by regional partners, and national funding, administered directly by Creative New Zealand.
Alongside closer work with communities, the agency will also be building more partnerships and growing wider investment in the arts and ngā toi. Creative New Zealand will also be boosting international impact, strengthening national capability, and growing understanding of the value of the arts and ngā toi.
Creative New Zealand is committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the new funding environment, and will continue to keep the arts community up-to-date on progress in this space.
A summary of the round is available on Creative New Zealand’s website (linked to below). The full set of results, including organisations offered funding and funding amounts, will be published on Thursday, 16 July 2026. Further insights and analysis will accompany the full results.
More information:
Arts Organisations and Groups Fund 2026 Tiers 3 and 4 – Summary of round
Media contact:
Paul Lisi
Communications Manager
media@creativenz.govt.nz