Over the last few years, New Zealand has experienced a renaissance of its arts, culture and heritage. New Zealand culture has ‘come of age' – asserting its place in the lives of New Zealanders, in the fabric of our nation, and in the world.
Culture means different things to different people. It encompasses art, dance, theatre, performance and festivals. It includes museums, historic places, heritage trails and the stories of our ancestors. We see and hear our culture on television and radio and on the big screen. It is played by New Zealand bands and orchestras in concert and on CD, and played out on the sports field on a Saturday. The origins of our culture are stored on tape and vinyl, on film and in print, hung on walls and carved in stone in parks all around the country. Culture both reflects and responds to the way we live our lives.
Increasingly our culture is being recognised as central to New Zealand's identity, to how we view ourselves and how we are viewed from overseas. Our culture is enhanced by the ways in which we express ourselves as individuals and as a country, by the stories we tell and the faces that we show.
New Zealanders are keen to learn more about their history, heritage, arts and other aspects of their culture, and they want opportunities to experience them for themselves. As demonstrated by the more than 100,000 people who lined the streets of Wellington to welcome home the Unknown Warrior, the 400,000 visitors to Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand since its launch, and the thousands of music lovers who have doubled the sales of New Zealand music recordings since 1998, our appetite for homegrown culture has never been stronger.
New Zealand has a distinctive, rich and complex cultural heritage resulting from the unique mix of people who have made this country home. Each arrival contributes to our cultural character and all who arrive look to see their own heritage reflected in the cultural environment in New Zealand. From the first canoes of Māori to the mainly British immigrants who arrived after 1840, and post-Second World War migrants from Pacific, Asian and European countries, our roots are many and varied.
That being said, it is our Māori culture that sets us apart from the rest of the world and provides us with the unique flavour of being a New Zealander.
Through the early part of the twentieth century New Zealanders working in cultural fields struggled for recognition. However, public and private support for culture began to grow noticeably during the 1940s and 1950s, and gained pace in the later twentieth century.
From the 1970s the cultural sector blossomed and homegrown expressions of our culture became both more prevalent and more popular.
New arts organisations have been established, many with public funding. There are more training courses and institutions for visual arts, drama, music and dance. Art galleries and theatres have multiplied, as have awards for artistic achievement and grants for emerging artists. Festivals showcasing everything from film to chamber music to ‘wearable arts' have become regular events.
Increasingly New Zealand film, literature, visual arts and design, theatrical and musical performances have achieved international accolades and we are regularly represented at major cultural events around the globe.
Radio arrived in New Zealand in 1922 and it was another forty years before television was introduced. When additional channels and colour television became available in the 1970s, substantial local content appeared. Recent statistics show that 77% of New Zealanders surveyed feel that seeing ourselves on television and hearing our stories helps to develop our cultural identity. Local content on radio and television is now at the highest levels ever recorded.
Today we have a mix of free-to-air and pay television networks, over 200 radio stations including two national non-commercial radio networks, a Pacific network, and dedicated Māori radio stations, as well as a Māori television channel. New Zealand music is increasingly played on radio and a strong music recording industry has developed.
As the country has grown, so have the towns and cities we live in, creating a built heritage which tells its own story of our development as a nation. Preservation of historic places and objects can give us insight into the people and places of our past, as well as showing us the way of life at a particular time and place. Museums are the traditional store-house for our history and heritage, collecting and caring for the pieces which make up our cultural treasures. From small special interest museums in out of the way places, to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, we continue to enjoy experiencing our shared heritage.
The last ten years or so have also seen an explosion of interest in our war history and the stories of the people who unquestioningly served their country. Anzac Day commemorations are increasingly well attended by young and old, with a new generation of New Zealanders coming to grips with the impact of war on individuals and the country.
War was a major landmark for this country in the first half of the twentieth century. New Zealand felt a new pride in itself and its achievements on the world stage and memorials were built to honour those who lost their lives overseas, lest we forget their sacrifice.
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior has become the tangible expression of appreciation for those who fought and died overseas, and new memorials are being developed for construction in London and Busan in Korea.
Successive New Zealand governments have recognised the value of culture and heritage, dating back to as early as 1865 when the Colonial Museum was first established.
Over the next century a number of national institutions and organisations were established, like the National Museum and Art Gallery, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Historic Places Trust and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, now known as Creative New Zealand.
Given our small population and the relative absence of private patronage, government assistance is necessary if all New Zealanders are to have access to meaningful cultural experiences. In recent years, government has increased its support of agencies that either fund or provide a diverse range of cultural experiences, giving more people more opportunities to get involved in culture and heritage. The level of spending by government on culture and heritage has increased by 73% since 1991.
Government has also recognised the economic benefits of a thriving cultural sector which contributes to economic growth, GDP and international trade and tourism. The cultural sector was responsible for 3.1% of industry's annual contribution to GDP for the years 1997 to 2001. The number of people in paid cultural employment has risen by 17% over the same period, which is almost three times the growth in total employment in that time.
Cultural identity is becoming more and more important in a globalised world. It helps us to understand those things that make us distinct, or are most valuable to us, as we encounter more pervasive international influences. New Zealand must continue to capitalise on our unique culture to embed a strong national identity, and make the most of opportunities to take our culture to the world.
As the appetite for culture in this country continues to grow, so does the sector and so do the ways of accessing cultural experiences. The Internet and websites have become integral to the lives of many people and are often the first port of call for information. Digital developments are also the way of the future in broadcasting.
Trends within New Zealand's population will continue to have an impact on our culture. Increasing cultural and ethnic diversity, especially in Auckland, the growing proportion of Pacific and Asian people, and an ageing population will all bring changes to New Zealand.
By its nature, culture is a dynamic and changing thing. It is, in the end, what unifies us as communities and a nation. The Ministry's challenge is to support the government in reflecting and contributing to our cultural development to strengthen New Zealand's sense of itself.
