Creative New Zealand releases guidance to help councils support local arts

Creative New Zealand has released a best practice guide for local councils, Supporting your arts community through COVID-19: He Waka Eke Noa, offering ways to support local artists, creative workers, arts groups and organisations in the country’s post COVID-19 environment.

Written for elected members and council officers, the guidance covers a range of actions that territorial authorities can take to support and strengthen their arts communities.

It’s also intended to support artists and creative practitioners in their own discussions with their local councils.

Local government is one of the country’s biggest investors in arts and culture plays and playing a vital role in ensuring New Zealanders have access to arts and culture.

However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many creative practitioners and organisations have been severely impacted by loss of employment and reduced ability to deliver their work to live audiences. In this context, local government’s requirement to promote the social and cultural wellbeing of communities becomes even more critical.

David Pannett, Creative New Zealand’s Senior Manager for Strategy and Engagement, explains “artists and creative practitioners are the lifeblood of our communities and are uniquely placed to help us navigate, design and imagine the future.

“We’re optimistic that just as artists and creatives helped us recover following events like the Canterbury earthquakes, they’ll help our cities, towns and districts to find creative ways to adapt and thrive in the future.”

The guidance document includes suggestions around communicating with arts communities, funding, council-owned and operated venues, regulatory levers, collaborating with artists in recovery planning, and promoting cultural wellbeing.

Although the guide has been developed in light of COVID-19, it is designed to represent best practice for how councils can support and work with their arts communities.

Creative New Zealand has also made submissions on the revised annual plans of three metropolitan councils - the Wellington City Council Draft Annual Plan, Auckland Council Emergency Budget and the Christchurch City Council updated Draft Annual Plan - in recent weeks.

Click here to read the full guide and summary.