More New Zealanders attending Pacific arts events

11am, 23 May 2018]

Survey shows more New Zealanders attending Pacific arts events

New Zealanders’ attendance at Pacific arts events has reached an all-time high, according to the results of a national arts engagement survey, released today by Creative New Zealand.

New Zealanders and the Arts 2017 shows a record 18% of Kiwis attended at least one Pacific arts event in the previous 12 months, which is up 4% from the results of the 2014 survey.

Pacific arts events are reaching an ethnically diverse audience made up of Pacific peoples (52%), Māori (40%), Asian New Zealanders (18%) and New Zealand Europeans (14%).

At 79% Pacific peoples’ arts engagement, which is a measure of both attendance and participation, is in line with the record 80% arts engagement of all New Zealanders.

Three in 10 Pacific Peoples (29%) participated in Pacific arts but other ethnicities were also taking part in Pacific arts, including 22% of Māori, 9% of Asian New Zealanders and 5% of New Zealand Europeans, according to the survey results.

“It’s great to see not only are more New Zealanders taking opportunities to experience the rich cultural diversity Pacific arts bring to this country but also that Pacific peoples are so highly engaged in a wide range of artforms,” said Arts Council Deputy Chair Caren Rangi.

More than half (52%) of young New Zealanders (10-14 years) had participated in the Pacific arts in the previous 12 months, which has grown steadily from 2008 when participation was 42%. This growth has been driven by increases in young people’s involvement in Pacific singing, dancing and music with four in ten (44%) taking part.

Young people that identify as Pacific are also more likely than the national average to want to increase their involvement in Pacific arts.

“There is an appetite amongst young people for greater participation which could lead on to increased levels of participation in adult life,” Ms Rangi said.

“This survey gives us a wealth of information to help us better serve the needs of the Pacific arts sector, which has always been integral to the cultural landscape of New Zealand, and is becoming increasingly important to the wider arts sector of our diverse Pacific nation.”

Along with learnings from the recent Pacific Arts Summit, these findings will inform Creative New Zealand’s development of a five year Pacific Arts Strategy to be completed this year.

More information on New Zealanders and the Arts 2017 can be found on the Creative New Zealand website

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