17/07/2026
As you may know, Barbarian’s core funding from Creative New Zealand dropped by 70% in Wednesday’s big announcement of Tier 3 & 4 Arts Organisations and Groups.
That’s obviously a big hit for us, and while we’re processing and reflecting on what it means for Jo, Thomas and the wider Barbarian community, it’s clear that we’ll be doing… something different. Our business has always been unusual, but it will no longer be unusual business as usual.
Our local arts business has been going for 25 years: over that time we've created many award-winning works, toured internationally, supported emerging artists with development programmes and advocated for our sector. Last year we launched two very popular works: the performance Speed Is Emotional and the book Secret Art Powers, which speaks to the value of creativity.
We recognise that CNZ are in the difficult position of trying to equitably distribute an amount of pūtea that is simply too small. Trying to run a sustainable art practice in this country is incredibly hard work, and investment by governments over many decades has never been enough.
We're delighted to see organisations receive multi-year funding for the first time. However the latest Budget cut $27 million from the arts and creative sector, despite this industry contributing $18.5 billion to the New Zealand economy (over 4% of our GDP). This decision to reduce Arts and Culture funding is a very deliberate choice.
With that in mind - please remember to check your enrolment for elections ASAP, and don’t forget to vote on 7 November, for a party or candidate who supports the arts and ngā toi.
