Building on the foundations of our change journey over the past two years and aligned with the launch of our strategies Toi Ora and Tū Mai Rā, we are now adopting a different focus and approach to how we operate.
We’re taking things one step at a time.
- Simplifying our short-term grants: We introduced eight new support opportunities designed to make our shorter-term grants more accessible, fair, and focused. These changes were shaped by what you told us was needed.
See these opportunities under Funding and support - Simplifying our support for arts organisations and groups: We shifted our focus to arts organisations and groups, recognising the vital role they play in their communities. From 2026, we’re offering opportunities to apply for higher amounts of funding and for longer periods of time.
Find out all about the extended fund - Empowering communities as decision-makers: We’re exploring how communities can take a greater role in shaping arts development.
Many of you have called for Creative New Zealand to expand our focus on the development of the arts on a national basis, including strategic investment and planning, advocating for the arts, global positioning, artform and practice development as well as fostering effective joint planning and investment. There is also an urgent need to secure increased investment to the arts. In the months ahead, you will start to see us placing our operational focus around five interconnected areas in order to achieve these ambitions.
These are:
- Changing Opinion: building stronger public understanding of the value of artists, the arts and ngā toi
- Growing investment: bringing more resources into the sector, from more places
- Strengthening capability: supporting artists, organisations and networks to be resilient and connected
- Boosting international impact: backing Aotearoa artists to connect, lead and succeed globally
- Empowering communities/Tuku rauemi: placing decision-making closer to artists and communities
The biggest shift that you'll see is the establishment of regional partnerships, enabling regions to make decisions about their arts development needs. This is central to Tū Mai Rā, Toi Aotearoa and its Empowering Communities priority and runs through both Toi Ora and the Pacific Arts Strategy.
From 2027, we’ll partner with trusted and independent organisations across the country to tuku rauemi (distribute resources) and back their regional leadership to support artists through funding and capability, connections and opportunities.
For more information, read the Chief Executive Blog
We will share more information about our upcoming changes with you in the time ahead.
What’s changing for arts organisations?
In October 2024, the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa decided to build on the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund with additional tiers and more multi-year funding opportunities. Applications will open in 2026 for support for programmes of work from 1 January 2027.
See our October 2024 announcement, Extending and streamlining support for arts organisations
This means our Tōtara and Kahikatea funding programmes will finish on 31 December 2026.
What you need to know
We’re extending the Arts Organisations and Groups Fund, with two new tiers, higher amounts, and funding offers of up to three years.
This is part of our change to better recognise the value of the roles arts organisations play in building communities, growing the arts ecosystem, and driving artistic practice and innovation.
Find out all about the extended fund
What we’ve learned from the sector
We’ve gained insights from artists, ringatoi, arts organisations and their communities as we progress. These insights have been captured in document and videos.
See the For the arts videos on Creative New Zealand’s YouTube channel
The future of arts development in Aotearoa New Zealand April 2023 (pdf. 706kb)
The future of arts development in Aotearoa New Zealand July 2024 (pdf. 429kb)
We’ve been set five challenges
These challenges came out of our conversations and collaboration as we worked to simplify our short-term grants. As we continue on our change journey we’re responding to them more and more.
- Connection: build relationships with artists, ringatoi, and arts organisations based on trust, respect and longevity so Creative New Zealand can better understand their needs when making decisions that affect them.
- Accessibility: make it easier for artists, ringatoi, and arts organisations to work with Creative New Zealand in both process and interactions.
- Autonomy: give communities a stronger decision-making role about the arts development activities in, by, for and with their community so that specific and nuanced arts development needs are met more effectively.
- Leadership: use our status as a crown entity, our resources and our networks to broker relationships between artists, ringatoi, arts organisations, territorial authorities, local governments and businesses to build better communities.
- Advocacy: use our existing government relationships more effectively so the lives of artists and the value of art and ngā toi are better respected and understood.
There’s more detail about each challenge in our April 2023 summary
Arts organisations told us the three types of support that matter most.
We began our work to simplify our support for arts organisations and groups by asking arts organisations to identify the type of support that made the most difference for them and their communities.
This is what they told us.
- Financial support: Long term, flexible funding makes the biggest difference alongside the ability to use this as and when needed to achieve the desired outcomes. We are committed to providing multi-year funding for arts organisations.
- Non-financial support: More than just funding is needed to make an impact, starting with more effective communication, supporting governance, safeguarding ngā toi, practical resources and stronger advocates.
- Support that comes from artists and communities working together: Ongoing support from their communities - including other artists, practitioners, and organisations is critical because when organisations do well communities do well. This is why we’re continuing to support arts organisations for their community impact and their roles in artform development and supporting artists’ careers.
There's more detail about each of these in our July 2024 summary