Government's Role in the Cultural Sector: a survey of the issues
Minister | Foreword | Introduction | Involvement | Why Involved? | Policy | Patron | Conclusion | Appendix

Introduction

2.1

In August 1998 the government began a formal review of its departmental structures relating to the cultural sector. The purpose of this paper is briefly and concisely to survey government’s involvement in the cultural sector, identify problematic areas, and identify potential issues for consideration, whatever arrangements government chooses for cultural policy.

2.2

Whether in trade, tourism or in everyday life, it is those things in which we excel, or which are uniquely of New Zealand, that set us apart from other countries and make us what we are. Much of what makes us unique comes from our cultural heritage and our achievement in the arts. In the information age and the global economy, where so much of our life is dominated by influences from outside New Zealand, the need to nurture and maintain our own cultural heritage and realise our potential is becoming increasingly important. From this activity, distinct forms of identity are preserved, and new ones allowed to develop.

2.3

The role played by the New Zealand government in the cultural sector in 1998 is divided among eight government departments, eleven ministerial portfolios, and some thirteen government-owned, statutory agencies. Government policies in such major areas as education, conservation and commerce have an impact on the cultural sector. Chapter 3 of this paper outlines the various ways in which government is involved in the cultural sector and shows the extent of this involvement.

2.4

The reasons why government is involved in the cultural sector and the outcomes it seeks have not been expressly stated by government; nor is there universal agreement about them. In Chapter 4 of this paper, we explore these issues and present the Ministry’s views on them.

2.5

The fragmented nature of government’s involvement in the sector is the product of decades of fitful policy-making, as summarised in the historical survey included as an Appendix to this paper. The creation of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage in 1991 provided the government with a source of policy advice for its involvement in cultural matters. But this event was not accompanied by the kinds of structural reform that were envisaged before the Ministry’s establishment, and that would allow government to establish clear priorities for funding, or set goals across the sector. Chapter 5 of this paper examines the issues associated with the government’s capacity to make policy in relation to cultural matters.

2.6

Chapter 6 examines the particular kinds of involvement in the cultural sector developed by government and identifies the key policy issues associated with them. It examines government’s performance under three headings: as a guardian of cultural heritage; as a patron; and as a provider or funder of cultural education.