Who We Are

Creative New Zealand is the national agency for the development of the arts in New Zealand. We invest resources in New Zealand arts for the long-term benefit of New Zealanders. Our statutory purpose is to encourage, promote and support the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders. (Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 1994). Our funding comes from the government through Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage and the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board.

Our mandate is to support community and professional arts. In doing so, we uphold the following principles:

participation, by supporting initiatives that encourage participation in the arts access, by supporting the availability of projects of merit to communities or sections of the population that would otherwise not have access to them excellence and innovation, by supporting activities of artistic and cultural significance that develop the creative potential of artists and artforms professionalism, by maintaining and developing a professional arts infrastructure, both at national and community levels advocacy, by promoting New Zealand's arts and artists locally, nationally and internationally.

We also:

recognise the cultural diversity of the people of New Zealand recognise in the arts the role of Maori as tangata whenua recognise the arts of the Pacific Islands' peoples of New Zealand.

FundingCreative New Zealand receives major funding from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board and the Government through Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Governance
Our governing body is the Arts Council and our funding decision-making bodies are the Arts Board, Te Waka Toi (our Maori arts board) and the Pacific Arts Committee.

Relationship with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage monitors the performance of Creative New Zealand in accordance with directions from the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Ministers for Arts, Culture and Heritage:

Hon Christopher Finlayson - Associate Minister

Funding details - forms - Closing dates

To order a copy of our Funding Guide go to our publications order page. Or you can download application forms and guidelines from our Forms and Guidelines page.  See website details below.

All applications to the Arts Board, Pacific Arts Committee or Te Waka Toi must reach Creative New Zealand's Wellington office by 5pm on the relevant closing date.

www.creativenz.govt.nz

Creative Communities Scheme

Local Authorities set the closing dates for their area. Please contact the Creative Communities Scheme Co-ordinator at your local authority.