Creative New Zealand

  • Home
  • Creative New Zealand

Creative New Zealand An open dialogue between Creative New Zealand and the public is encouraged. When commenting on this page, we ask that you follow these guidelines.

Creative New Zealand encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, our international programme and advocacy. We invest in artists and arts organisations, offer capability building programmes and develop markets and audiences for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally. Do not:

- Post anything racis

t, inflammatory, repetitive, offensive, off-topic, or otherwise inappropriate to a general audience on a page hosted by Creative New Zealand

- Use hateful or obscene language

- Harass or make personal attacks against other users. Please be respectful of others

- Repost anything that could be considered spam

- Post or share links to offensive material

- Link to off-topic page(s) (including advertising)


Please note any comment that we believe goes against our guidelines may be moderated, hidden or deleted. Users found to repeatedly breach our guidelines will be blocked from this page without warning.

The arts sector is changing, and so must the way we support it.In her latest blog, our Chief Executive Tumu Whakarae Gre...
03/09/2026

The arts sector is changing, and so must the way we support it.

In her latest blog, our Chief Executive Tumu Whakarae Gretchen La Roche explores why creating greater impact for the arts requires us to challenge old assumptions, embrace new approaches and invest in long-term transformation.

If we're serious about achieving different outcomes, we need the courage to think bigger about what's possible for arts in Aotearoa

Read Gretchen's blog on our website: https://creativenz.govt.nz/news-and-blog/2026/09/01/22/13/34/looking-ahead-why-we-need-to-do-things-differently

Great things can happen when communities, councils, and funders come together.Ahu Community Trust is contributing $75,00...
03/09/2026

Great things can happen when communities, councils, and funders come together.

Ahu Community Trust is contributing $75,000 to the Creative Communities Scheme. Formerly known as The Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury, Ahu Community Trust has had a 38-year commitment to supporting communities across the region. The new and generous contribution will help local councils support community-led arts projects across the four districts, giving artists, groups and organisations opportunities for people to take part in the arts.

Read more: https://creativenz.govt.nz/news-and-blog/2026/09/01/22/47/05/ahu-community-trust-invests-in-local-arts

📷 Timaru Drama League. Image supplied.

✍️ Applications for the Early Career Fund are now open!With support from our Early Career Fund, Hastings-based artist Ki...
01/09/2026

✍️ Applications for the Early Career Fund are now open!

With support from our Early Career Fund, Hastings-based artist Kirsty Babington worked alongside established weaver Karmen Thomson to learn the preparation, processes and tikanga involved in making a whāriki.

The experience strengthened her practice, deepened her understanding of the artform and inspired her to keep learning.

"My goal was to learn the skills required to make a whāriki, and if put in that context, I have definitely achieved that." - Kirsty Babington (Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa)

Head to our website for more information about this fund

📷 Kirsty Babington during her Early Career Fund-supported raranga project.

31/08/2026

What’s the value of toi to society? For Professor Ngataiharuru Taepa, it reaches far beyond the arts.

Creativity is part of his whakapapa, shaped by generations of artists and a belief in toi as a pathway to connection, learning and oranga. As he joins the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, Ngatai brings the voices of practitioners, his experience as an artist, educator and leader, and a commitment to keeping toi Māori grounded in marae, tikanga, te reo and community.

He sees an exciting future, one where creativity continues to uplift people and strengthen culture across Aotearoa for generations to come.

Happy National Poetry Day! 📝 Today we celebrate the brilliant voices of Aotearoa’s poetry world. You can celebrate an ou...
27/08/2026

Happy National Poetry Day! 📝 Today we celebrate the brilliant voices of Aotearoa’s poetry world. You can celebrate an outstanding poet 🖋️ by nominating them for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement. ✨

✍️ Nominations close next Thursday 1.00 pm, 3 Sept
https://creativenz.govt.nz/funding-and-support/all-opportunities/prime-ministers-awards-for-literary-achievement

📸 Previous poetry recipients: Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (2005), Apirana Taylor (2024), Bill Manhire (2007), Cilla McQueen (2010), David Eggleton (2016), Jenny Bornholdt (2020), Paula Green (2017), Sam Hunt (2012) and Tusiata Avia (2023).

Fiona Pardington: Taharaki Skyside has been selected as a finalist in the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design...
26/08/2026

Fiona Pardington: Taharaki Skyside has been selected as a finalist in the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards 2026 🏆

Fiona Pardington’s brother, artist/designer Neil Pardington, is the creative director of Taharaki Skyside. The siblings frequently collaborate in their creative endeavours, with this incredible project notably designed for the world stage as part of the 61st Venice Biennale.

Taharaki Skyside has been recognised in the Editorial & Books category for the exhibition catalogue, a lasting record of the exhibition that combines exceptional production, design, and scholarship.

It was also recognised in the Small Brand Identity category for the visual identity created by Neil, The design translates the exhibition's themes of manu, connection, memory, and the shared horizon between Aotearoa and Venice into a distinctive design system.

Congratulations to Fiona, Neil, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o aiwhetū, and all the collaborators whose work contributed to this well-deserved recognition. 👏👏

Our International Funds have opened! 📣 🌍 International Arts Impact Fund - Stage 1 Funding for established New Zealand ar...
25/08/2026

Our International Funds have opened! 📣

🌍 International Arts Impact Fund - Stage 1

Funding for established New Zealand artists and practitioners and arts organisations and groups to achieve international success. Expressions of interest close 1.00 pm (NZST) on Monday, 21 September.

🌍International Engagement Fund 2026/27

Funding for artists, practitioners and organisations towards opportunities for international engagement. Applications to round 1 close 1.00 pm (NZST) on Thursday, 10 September. Applications to round 2 close 1.00pm (NZST) on Thursday, 3 December.

Find out more about our international opportunities on our website: https://creativenz.govt.nz/funding-and-support/all-opportunities

📢 Applications for the Creative Fellowship Fund round are now open!With support from Creative New Zealand’s Creative Fel...
24/08/2026

📢 Applications for the Creative Fellowship Fund round are now open!

With support from Creative New Zealand’s Creative Fellowship Fund, Kristyl Neho (Ngāti Kahungunu) toured her theatre work Tangihanga to 12 locations across Aotearoa, reaching 4,000 people.

Tangihanga follows Jess, a loving daughter returning to the marae to mourn the death of her father, Karanipa. Kristyl embodied over 30 characters, weaving together humour, grief, and cultural ritual to explore the emotional layers of loss, memory, and identity.

Over 488 students and 620 kaumātua attended, with post-show kōrero exploring grief, whānau relationships, caregiving, cultural identity and tikanga Māori. More than a theatre work, Tangihanga sparked cultural dialogue while offering an educational opportunity and a shared emotional experience.

This funding supported the tour, a filmed live version, and the development of a short-film adaptation.

Find out more about our Creative Fellowship fund and apply today: https://creativenz.govt.nz/funding-and-support/all-opportunities/creative-fellowship-fund

📣Nominations for the 2026 Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement close in 2 weeks! 📚Do you know of a New Zeala...
21/08/2026

📣Nominations for the 2026 Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement close in 2 weeks! 📚

Do you know of a New Zealand writer who has made a notable contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry? Awards of $60,000 are made in each category.

✍️ Celebrate and recognise artistic excellence and achievements of New Zealand writers by making a nomination.

Make a nomination by 1:00 PM, 3 September on our website: https://creativenz.govt.nz/funding-and-support/all-opportunities/prime-ministers-awards-for-literary-achievement

The winners of the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have just been announced! 📚✨ A massive co...
20/08/2026

The winners of the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have just been announced! 📚✨

A massive congratulations to Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan! Our CE, Gretchen La Roche, presented them with the supreme award of the night, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award for, A Guide to Rocks! 🏆

The judges called it “storytelling at its finest”. This beautiful book helps little ones navigate big, difficult feelings through a quintessentially Kiwi voice and breathtaking illustrations.

It was a huge night of celebration, we also want to extend a huge congratulations to all the other category winners and finalists who shared the stage last night. We’re proud to support and celebrate the imagination and storytelling that makes children’s literature in Aotearoa so special. 👏

📸 Sacha Cotter & Josh Morgan, Simie Simpson (Judging convenor), Eboni Waitere (Huia Publishers), Gretchen La Roche – and the Huia team (not pictured Te Kura Pounamu judging convenor, Te Wairere Ngaia). Rebecca McMillan Photography.

Address

2 Allen Street

6011

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+64800273284

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Creative New Zealand posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

  • Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment?

Share