Ministry for Culture and Heritage Annual Report 2009
Chief Executive
Tēna Koutou
Tēnei te tāpae i te Pūrongo ā-Tau a Te Manatū Taonga mō te tau.
Anō te āhuareka i tēnei te pūrongo a-tau tuatahi a Te Manatū Taonga ka whai wāhi ai au.
Welcome to the 2008/09 annual report for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
My tenure as Chief Executive of the Ministry began only two weeks before the end of the 2008/09 financial year, and this document is therefore one that records primarily the work and achievements of others. I’d like first to acknowledge the contribution of Bronwyn Dalley, Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry from September 2008 until June 2009. Dr Dalley was an able leader of the Ministry for a significant period – and during a significant time. The 2008 election brought a new administration into power; new Ministers into the Arts, Culture and Heritage, Broadcasting, and Sport and Recreation portfolios; and a new set of government objectives to guide the work of the organisation.
But the 2008/09 year was also marked by the global recession, which constrained expenditure by central and local government, by non-government organisations, and by consumers. The Ministry, like other public service departments, made savings in its operation during this period. And the cultural sector had to make adjustments as funding from government and from other sources came under pressure.
The cultural organisations with which the Ministry works responded to the challenges of the recession with energy and flair, and with a continued commitment to providing New Zealanders and visitors with quality cultural experiences.
The importance of culture has been recognised and reinforced also by the Ministry’s own activities over the last year: making New Zealand history accessible; providing New Zealand cultural experiences, resources and information online; promoting New Zealand’s cultural presence internationally; supporting and monitoring the government’s investment in arts, heritage, broadcasting and sports agencies; safeguarding New Zealand’s heritage; and advising government.
I look forward to continuing this work and especially to further developing the Ministry’s role as a leader in the sector, helping it take an organised and coherent approach to the achievement of the government’s cultural goals. The sector has much to contribute, too, to the achievement of non-cultural (including economic) goals.
I have every confidence that, in the period to come, the staff of the Ministry will bring the same expertise and commitment to their work as they did in the 2008/09 year. I would like to take the opportunity to thank them all for their contribution, and for the support they offer me as Chief Executive.
Lewis Holden
Chief Executive
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Background – Meeting Our Accountability Obligations
This annual report covers the Ministry’s strategy, operating and financial performance for the 2008/09 financial year (1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009) and provides details on:
strategy, service performance and outcomes progress (Part One)
the legislation expenditure administered by the Ministry (Part Two)
financial statements (Part Three)
standards and service performance (Part Four)
audit report.
The report also takes into account the change of Government in November 2008.
The performance information in this report reflects the services provided by the Ministry and their impact upon medium term cultural outcomes.
The diagram below illustrates the basis upon which the Ministry reports its:
annual operating performance
progress towards the outcomes contained in the Ministry’s 2008 Statement of Intent
cost effectiveness and value for money.
The Ministry’s Performance Planning and Reporting Framework
The performance themes reflected in this annual report are:
- stimulating enhanced creative, consumer and policy participation in culture and cultural activities; and
- value for money from the Government’s investment in the sector.
The Ministry in 2008/09
In 2008/09 the Ministry provided services to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, the Minister of Broadcasting and the Minister for Sport and Recreation. These services cost $13.643 million to deliver. Our role is to support the government’s cultural objectives and priorities by helping make culture visible and accessible to New Zealanders and international audiences. We do this by:
- Advising government – providing advice on funding, legislation, projects, cultural issues, broadcasting and treaties, and contributing to other government work where a cultural view is needed, in order to ensure that the cultural sector contributes strongly to government’s goals
- Supporting and monitoring the government’s investment in arts, heritage, broadcasting and sports agencies, which in 2008/09 totalled $298.957 million
- Safeguarding New Zealand’s heritage – administering laws; protecting cultural objects and symbols of national identity; maintaining national monuments and war graves and developing new memorials
- Promoting New Zealand’s cultural presence internationally – providing a New Zealand cultural presence in key overseas regions or countries to boost New Zealand’s profile and its economic, trade, tourism, diplomatic and cultural interests
- Making New Zealand history accessible – producing works on New Zealand history in print and online (www.NZHistory.net.nz); researching and producing oral histories
- Providing New Zealand cultural experiences, resources and information online – producing the online Encyclopedia of New Zealand (www.TeAra.govt.nz) and providing online information about and access to cultural activities
(www.NZLive.com).
As at 30 June 2009 the Ministry employed a total of 110 staff (100.1 full-time equivalents), all based in Wellington. Additional information about who we are and what we do (including our Statement of Intent) is available on our web site (www.mch.govt.nz).
In 2008/09 the above activities were funded through the following departmental output expense appropriations:
- Heritage Services
- International Cultural Diplomacy
- Policy Advice and Monitoring of Funded Agencies
- Purchase Advice and Monitoring of Sport and Recreation Crown Entities
1 Employment in the Cultural Sector – Ngā Mahi ki te Taha Tikanga ā-Iwi, pp. 6, 7, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, February 2009
2 Cultural Indicators for New Zealand – Tohu Ahurea mo Aotearoa 2009, pp. 70-71. Ministry for Culture and Heritage, June 2009
These output expenses are applied to the Ministry’s activities and outcomes as follows:
The cultural sector
The New Zealand cultural sector is a significant employer of New Zealanders and produces a diverse range of indigenous arts, culture and heritage goods and services for local and international consumers. The Ministry supports the sector in maximising its contribution to New Zealand’s cultural, social and economic prosperity.
Activities, employment and income
1 Employment in the Cultural Sector – Ngā Mahi ki te Taha Tikanga ā-Iwi, pp. 6, 7, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, February 2009
2 Cultural Indicators for New Zealand – Tohu Ahurea mo Aotearoa 2009, pp. 70–71. Ministry for Culture and Heritage, June 2009