La Roche went on to broadly outline how CNZ would be changing \u2013 and those changes are, to put it in plain terms, huge. In a nutshell, CNZ will de-centralise its funds by partnering with regional organisations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hold the phone\u2026 what even is Creative New Zealand?\u00a0<\/p>\n
CNZ is a government agency that supports arts organisations, like arts festivals, theatre and dance companies, literary organisations and arts media, as well as individual artists, like visual artists, writers, theatre makers and musicians through funding. It stays away from film and TV projects because the Film Commission and NZ on Air fund those.<\/p>\n
CNZ also has an advocacy team who work to rally support for the arts and support artists\u2019 interests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
About 25% of CNZ\u2019s funding comes from the government.<\/a> The government\u2019s contribution has remained static since 2005\/2006 with the exception of a $1 million increase in Budget 2019, while contributions from the NZ Lottery Grants Board Te Puna Tahua funding has increased substantially over this period. In fact, CNZ now frames avoiding a reduction in government funding as good news.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Arts organisations and individual artists or groups could look for a fund that aligned on the Creative New Zealand website and put in an application through CNZ\u2019s online portal. The funds were contestable, meaning applicants were in competition with one another. All were assessed, but only some were successful.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some larger organisations were on multi-year contracts for funding through what were called the K\u0101hikatea and T\u014dtara funds, but those contracts will all wind up by December 2026. Arts organisations across the country are now applying to new, multi-tier funds<\/a>. Results from those funding rounds are due from July and the sector is bracing for a shake-up: there is no way that every organisation is going to be successful. There is simply not enough money to go around.<\/p>\n So, what\u2019s this big change all about then?<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest shift that you\u2019ll see is the establishment of regional partnerships, enabling regions to make decisions about their arts development needs,\u201d La Roche said on May 1.<\/a><\/p>\n CNZ is running a registration of interest process to find regional arts organisations to administer funds. CNZ says it\u2019s looking for \u201ctrusted organisations, collectives or consortiums deeply connected to their communities, who understand their local creative ecology\u201d. They want these organisations to be \u201ccollectives who understand the artists, communities, opportunities and challenges unique to that place, and have a base infrastructure to build on\u201d.<\/p>\n The registration of interest document says that CNZ is looking for one partner in each of 16 \u201cdelivery locations\u201d \u2013 from Te Tai Tokerau to Whanganui to Southland \u2013 and that these partners need to: \u201clead arts development; administer and distribute regional funding; connect artists, organisations and communities; build partnerships and grow investment; be advocates for arts and ng\u0101 toi; and support long-term sustainable arts ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n The ROI process closes very soon on May 29, with successful applications notified in June. The partners will be signed up by January 2027, with delivery beginning from July 2027: a swift timeline for such an ambitious change.<\/p>\n Basically, this means CNZ is devolving funding from a central model to a regional one. CNZ told The Spinoff this would make funding \u201ceasier\u201d and that \u201cour expectation is that applying for funding will be simple with a quick turnaround time due to scale, streamlined process and decisions being made closer to artists and arts communities\u201d.<\/p>\n So, who could these regional partners be? And how is it actually going to work?<\/p>\n Administering funds is not a simple process. It\u2019s admin-heavy work that requires time, staff and streamlined processes to ensure fairness and equity. It could be a challenge to find arts organisations in all 16 locations that have both the art-form neutrality and capacity to take on that large list of CNZ requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n CNZ told The Spinoff that while the new direction will add partners, it wants to avoid adding layers of bureaucracy. \u201cMost regional partners will build on infrastructure, relationships and capability that already exists in their communities. We will also provide support in a variety of ways to enable this, including centralised tools and systems.\u201d<\/p>\n The Spinoff asked CNZ how, under a model with so many partners, will consistency be maintained. We also asked how M\u0101ori would be represented and how will all art forms be equally championed?\u00a0<\/p>\n CNZ said regional partners would need to deliver funding opportunities \u201cin line with CNZ\u2019s current practice\u201d and that \u201cthere will be clear expectations around transparency, fairness, accountability and good decision-making. At the same time, CNZ will continue to hold the national overview and support regional partners as an active national network that shares ideas, insight and momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n Could councils be regional partners?<\/p>\n There\u2019s no stipulation that councils are ineligible to apply to be a regional partner, but they don\u2019t seem to fit the description of the kind of organisation that CNZ is looking for. For example, Wellington City Council is currently proposing a 5 % cut to its arts budget <\/a>which would seem to negate the CNZ requirement for its regional partners to advocate for the arts and long-term sustainability.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bigger question is around what councils may or may not do with their own arts funding if regional partners are going to be channeling CNZ money. CNZ told The Spinoff that it doesn\u2019t expect councils to reduce their arts funding once the regional partnership model starts up. \u201cCurrently we have limited levers to actively encourage other stakeholders to maintain and grow their investment in the arts and culture within their regions. We believe that offering a confirmed multi-year commitment of investment to a region enables us to approach key stakeholder conversations in a different way.<\/p>\n \u201cRegional partners will be supported to focus on growing investment and building stronger regional relationships, including with councils, iwi, philanthropy and business.\u201d<\/p>\n So, does CNZ have more money to support this change?\u00a0<\/p>\n Lol. No. There\u2019s not even additional funding to set up the regional partners with the staffing they\u2019ll inevitably need to do all the new work.\u00a0<\/p>\nCreative New Zealand CEO Gretchen La Roche (Photo: Supplied)
\nHow has CNZ funding worked up until now?\u00a0<\/p>\n