Creative New Zealand’s new Statement of Intent March 2022 - Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi

Creative New Zealand is seeking feedback on three proposed strategic focus areas for the next four years. A discussion document on the proposed changes is available here.  Below is a brief background, and an overview of Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi response.

In mid-2019 Creative New Zealand (CNZ) released their 10-year Statement of Intent supported by an overview of their strategic direction.  These publications outlined the strategic objectives that CNZ intended to achieve, or contribute to, for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2029, and their approach to achieving them.

But the world as we knew it in 2019 is gone, and the changes and challenges that have emerged since 2020 will continue to have an impact on the ngā toi arts and culture sector of Aotearoa for years to come.

CNZ also notes rapid societal shifts since 2019 including reconsidering the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the increasing prominence of issues such as decolonisation, climate change, diversity and inclusivity, and advances in digital technology.

In recognition of these changes, CNZ is revisiting its Statement of Intent to identify what it needs to achieve in the medium term, from 2022 to 2026. This is being done in the context of the longer-term strategic direction mapped out in the 2019 SOI which CNZ considers remains relevant.

The proposed areas of focus are:

• Resilience, including sector sustainability and sustainable careers
• Access, inclusion, and equity, relating both to the services Creative New Zealand offers and the sector more broadly
• Wellbeing, embedding a recognition of the role of the arts and ngā toi in supporting the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

Additionally, CNZ will “advance our Te Kaupapa o Toi Aotearoa programme, which aims to ensure we have the organisational culture, competencies and practices that will enable us to meet our aspirations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ensure we deliver public value for all New Zealanders.”

CNZ is also proposing a greater focus on partnerships, ‘recognising that reciprocal relationships can increase the positive impact of our collective work for the arts.’

To facilitate feedback from the sector, CNZ has released a discussion paper on its’ proposed areas of focus over the next four years. This is supported with a short survey which invites sector feedback around;

• Are the strategic focus areas CNZ is proposing the right ones for now – what might be missing, and which of the three areas is most important to focus on in the shorter term?
• Within these strategic focus areas, what might the most impactful work be that CNZ should be advancing?
• Are there issues not covered by these strategic focus areas that CNZ need to advance in the longer-term – what are the important issues CNZ needs to get in front of by 2029?

Outlined here are some key points that Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi will be making in its feedback to CNZ.

Please feel free to give us feedback on our comments – and if you would like to respond to the survey, please feel free to use what we have written to inform your own feedback.