Advocating for Change in the Creative Sector: Impact, learning and insight
This paper captures our advocacy work across 2022-23. Since 2020, we have actively stepped into a sector advocacy leadership role – working locally and regionally to understand and champion issues and strengthen and mobilise sector voices. We also work nationally, often alongside the Regional Arts Network Aotearoa (RANA), to champion the value of arts, culture and creativity, and influence investment and policy.
You can read the full report here.
Activity Highlights 2022-23
Stop the cuts
We launched the StopTheCuts campaign and partnered with other key sector stakeholders to rally community advocacy in opposition to the proposed Auckland Council budget cuts. As part of this
campaign, we also made our own written and oral submissions to Council.
Ngā Toi Advocacy Network
Throughout 2022-23, we continued to convene the Ngā Toi Advocacy Network as a online forum for the sector to connect, share learning and strategise shared priorities for advocacy.
Arts Action Now!!!
In the run up to the 2023 general election we established Arts Action Now !!! to support the sector in positioning arts, culture and creativity as a key issue, advocating for national strategy and policy.
Advocacy for systems change
As part of our ongoing efforts to influence wider systems change in relation to policy and resourcing, we:
Produced a think piece for the Auckland Arts Investors Forum outlining a vision of the sector’s future state, and key opportunities for systems change. This was influential in the Forum collaborating to develop an evolved ngā toi Māori investment prototype.
Commissioned Enter the Multiverse to understand the needs and aspirations of the Asian diaspora arts community in Tāmaki Makaurau, which directly influenced the priorities of Creative NZ and Foundation North’s Asian Artists’ Fund.
Through our co-convening of the Auckland Investors Forum we sought to influence collaborative responses to systemic issues with funding equity and accessibility, informed by our third publication of the report: Mapping the Auckland Funding Ecosystem for Ngā Toi – Culture, Creativity and the Arts.
Published the report Hōhā and Hauora – Learning about Arts Advocacy to share insights we have gathered along our advocacy journey and support the practice of others in our sector.
Led the development of a business case in collaboration with RANA for new government investment into regional arts; as well as writing a think piece about the need for a national strategy for arts, culture and creativity, and key consideration for its development.
Developed five podcasts through new series Creative Capital, as a vehicle for ongoing advocacy around the need for systems change.
Photo credit: Shelley Te Haara at our Arts Action Now Objectspace Launch
