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Executive Summary

This report presents the findings from an online survey of people in the creative sector in Tāmaki Makaurau, conducted over June-July 2022. This is the fourth and final in the current series of surveys intended to track the state of the creative sector in Tāmaki Makaurau; other surveys were undertaken concurrently in other regions as well as a national survey. There were 184 respondents from Tāmaki Makaurau and the results from those respondents are discussed below.

Creative freelancers dominated the Tāmaki Makaurau sample: More respondents reported being a creative freelancer (61%) than any other role in the creative sector. This was followed by leaders of a creative not-for-profit (25%), and unpaid creative individuals (18%).

Performing and visual arts were strongly represented by Tāmaki Makaurau respondents: Tāmaki Makaurau respondents were active in many creative areas. Visual arts was the most prominent area reported (45%), followed by performing arts (43%) and music (24%).

Tāmaki Makaurau respondents have slightly restored their optimism about their financial position: Respondents rated their outlook on whether their creative work would support their financial position in the next 12 months (from 1 meaning very pessimistic to 6 meaning very optimistic). Compared to the February-March 2022 survey, pessimism decreased from 66% to 49%, and optimism rose from 32% to 49%, indicating a trend toward levels of optimism reported in the initial June-July 2021 survey. The increase in financial optimism between the February and June quarters was statistically significant (p<0.001). The shifts that occurred between the June 2021 and June 2022 quarterly surveys were also statistically significant (p<0.01), but indicated confidence had not yet reached the same levels as June 2021.

More respondents expected to increase their current staff or contractor numbers, compared to the previous survey: The number of respondents who expect to take on new staff or contractors or expected staff numbers to stay the same had increased (from 25% to 35% and 42% to 46% respectively). Those who expected staff numbers to reduce had decreased from 19% to 8%. The increase in expectation to take on new staff between the February and June quarterly surveys were statistically significant (p<0.05).

Tāmaki Makaurau respondents’ view on achieving their creative goals shifted to become more optimistic once again: Respondents rated their outlook on whether they would achieve their own or their organisations’ creative goals in the next 12 months (from 1 meaning very pessimistic to 6 meaning very optimistic). Compared to the February-March 2022 survey, pessimism decreased from 50% to 33%, and optimism rose from 49% to 64%. This indicates a trend of restored optimism back toward levels reported in the initial June-July 2021 survey. This increase in optimism, when comparing the February and June quarterly surveys, was statistically significant (p<0.001).

Tāmaki Makaurau respondents’ perception of audience appetite for their creative work seems to have slightly increased: With 30% reporting audience appetite being more than usual, 29% reporting that it was the less than usual and 27% reporting that it was the same. Overall, the average rating was 2 out of 3 (from 1 meaning less than usual to 3 meaning more than usual). This is only slightly higher than the average rating for February-March 2022 (1.9), but there was a significant drop in those reporting audience appetite as less than usual compared to the February quarterly survey (p<0.05).

Survey respondents were asked ‘if you were having coffee with the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage today, what changes would you advocate for?’ Key themes emerging from this question for Tāmaki Makaurau respondents were:

• The largest group of responses focused on changes to arts funding (40%), including increasing the amount of funding for the arts and creative sector; advocating for more funding for a range of roles, activities and organisations; improving application processes so they were more transparent and user-friendly; increasing artist involvement in governance and decision-making; restructuring of the arts sector and funding systems and changing how arts, culture and heritage funding is allocated.

• Survey respondents advocated for initiatives to improve the financial sustainability of artists (16%). The most common call was for some form of a basic income for artists and creatives.

• Another group of responses focused on the need for a variety of supports in the arts and creative sectors (15%). Examples included more support for collaborations; more arts infrastructure such as venues and arts hubs; support for the services and organisations that enable the arts sector to function and greater support to connect internationally and promote New Zealand art overseas. 

• A smaller group of respondents focused on arts education (8%). Respondents raised issues such as concerns about the quality of tertiary arts education and the need for further investment in arts education.

• The need for government and the wider community to place greater value on the arts (7%) and its contribution to society was raised by some respondents. Some respondents felt that the arts should be promoted as much as sports and that more media attention could help. The need to create space and opportunities for more diversity in the arts (7%) was a further theme raised. These respondents wished to see greater cultural diversity and more opportunities and support for disabled artists. 

• Other themes raised included enhancing the accessibility of the arts to youth and new creatives stepping into the industry; the need for a comprehensive arts sector strategy; the important role of art in fostering good health, wellbeing and community cohesion; the need to support artists’ wellbeing; and the importance of greater environmental awareness in the art and creative sector.