'Amplify' the National Strategy Consultation
Strengthen your voice, side by side. Support a brighter future for Aotearoa, through the Arts and Culture National Strategy.
Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith and Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, have released a proposed National Arts Strategy: ‘Amplify’, and anyone and everyone can share their feedback. We have popped some ideas together to help make this process fast and easy.
What is a national strategy? How can it be helpful?
A national strategy is a document that helps the government to make decisions informed by research and community input. It is something official that makes sure that arts, culture and creativity are actively considered and supported. The arts and culture sector has been calling for one for a while (and other countries like Australia and Scotland have them.)
Now, it is our opportunity to have our say.
Our voice is our strength, and we can show our leaders that we are here and doing beautiful work for our sector and our communities.
It is also an opportunity for us to sing out about the value of arts and culture in Waikato and beyond.
Take ten minutes. Pass this on to your friends and whānau. The more voices, the better!
The consultation is short, and you do not have to answer all the questions. Your voice and perspective is gold. Every little bit counts. Good news: submissions aren’t due until Sunday, December 15th.
You can find the proposed strategy here. Because this is a government document, it is fairly long, and there is some flash language to navigate. We’ve created a summary to help, and pulled out some key points for you.
At Creative Waikato, our main thinking is that:
It is essential to support the creatives, artists, groups and enablers who make arts and culture happen in Aotearoa.
And it is essential to support all New Zealanders to actively engage in arts, culture and heritage in Aotearoa.
So, in the language of this strategy…
‘More New Zealanders are actively engaging with New Zealand arts, culture, and heritage’, + ‘More creative professionals consider that they can live comfortably off their creative outcomes’
=
‘The GDP contribution from the arts and creative sector increased to at least $20 billion’ and ‘New Zealand ranks among the top 20 nations in the world for soft power’
(Creative Waikato will also be making a submission, you will find it on our Standing up for the Arts page: )
Hot Tips:
- Keep your submission focused on the main areas of this document and kaupapa. Make this an opportunity to highlight which parts of the strategy mean the most to you.
- Use your words. Talk from your unique experience, expertise and position. Your point of view is important. We have provided some key phrases at the bottom of this article to get you started (feel free to copy and paste, but please edit them and make them your own.)
- You do not have to answer all of the questions. Anything you submit makes a difference.
- Remember that any time you submit to the government, your submission can be made public, and connected to your name. This is not an anonymous process.
- There two ways to submit. You can submit through a survey or fill out the print version here.
Bonus Points:
Get your friends and family together to fill out the consultation too! You could send this article to them, or put on the kettle and gather your people to work together.
Want to dig deeper:
Check out our friends at Arts Action Now
We are here to help you, email hello@creativewaikato.co.nz
