Government's Role in the Cultural Sector

The government’s capacity to make policy

5.1
In order to play a consistent and productive role in the cultural sector, government needs to be able to develop broad cultural policy objectives and priorities against which its more specific interventions can be assessed. It needs to take a lead, where that is necessary, while continually reassessing the impact of its existing policies and structures. It must evaluate the impact on the cultural sector of international developments and of government policies in areas such as resource management, the role of local government, taxation, censorship, intellectual property and the economy.
5.2
The government recognised the desirability of taking a co-ordinated approach to its involvement in the cultural sector when, in 1991, it established a specialist Ministry for Culture and Heritage to:

formulate policy on issues and priorities across the cultural sector;
provide advice on:

the functions and responsibilities of funding delivery agencies;
the development of international contacts and interchanges;
the development of cultural industries’ potential particularly with regard to export and tourism earnings;
the fostering in government policies, particularly in social and educational policies, of the importance of artistic achievement and cultural awareness for the benefit of all New Zealanders; and

assess delivery agencies’ funding proposals and monitor their performance.³

5.3
It was not envisaged that the Ministry for Culture and Heritage would be the only government department with an interest in the sector. In particular, as the Crown’s primary adviser on the Treaty, Te Puni Kòkiri has continued to play an important role in the assessment and monitoring of government cultural agencies’ delivery to Maori, following the mainstreaming of cultural programmes that were once among the responsibilities of the Department of Maori Affairs. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage was, however, given overall responsibility for the development of cultural policy.
5.4
The establishment of a stand-alone, specialist ministry has given the cultural sector a higher profile within government than it has had in the past. Yet the original concept of one ministry with responsibility for advice to the government on issues and priorities across the sector, and for the assessment and monitoring of cultural delivery agencies, has not been fully realised. As noted earlier, government’s cultural interests are still dispersed across several departments - eight in 1998 - and eleven portfolios. The Cultural Affairs portfolio itself has direct responsibility for only a small proportion of these interests. The capacity of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to develop policy is limited: almost all its resources are applied to servicing the Minister and ensuring accountability for cultural expenditure. The Ministry has a staff of 12 people. It is the smallest government Ministry. The resources available for cultural policy development in other departments are also limited.
5.5
For these reasons - fragmentation and limited resources - the policy overview and prioritisation of resources that were anticipated in 1991 have not eventuated. In some cases decisions with significant cultural implications have been made without reference to cultural policy objectives. The division of responsibilities among several departments and portfolios means that no one minister or department has taken the lead in addressing broad policy issues with implications for the sector. The role of cultural policy in diplomacy, which is a significant feature of some countries’ foreign relations, has remained undeveloped. Government has not been able to develop a coherent response to major international trends such as the impact of globalisation and new technologies on cultural development in a small, open economy like New Zealand’s. Domestic issues such as the division of responsibility between central and local government for cultural policies and programmes are difficult to address.
5.6
Two areas that are of concern in the late nineties show the effects of government’s fragmented policy-making: cultural heritage and broadcasting. Seven departments (Cultural Affairs, Te Puni Kòkiri, Internal Affairs, Conservation, Environment, National Library, and Commerce) and nine ministers have significant responsibilities in the area of cultural heritage. Because for the most part they are not the core business of these departments and portfolios, cultural heritage protection issues have in many cases been given a low priority.
5.7
Another issue that arises from the way government’s interests in the cultural sector are structured is the uneasy mix of commercial and cultural objectives within broadcasting policy. Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity, charged under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995 with providing “innovative, comprehensive, and independent broadcasting services of a high standard”, including programmes meeting a series of specifically cultural objectives. Television New Zealand, on the other hand, is a State-owned Enterprise, and therefore has a primarily commercial focus: the level and type of cultural content is at the discretion of the Board and management. The current structures and monitoring arrangements do not take into account the cultural impact of broadcasting.

Strategic Policy Issues Include:

To clarify the cultural objectives or outcomes that would inform policy and the design of structures and agencies.
To consider how the current distribution of cultural policy between several departments and portfolios can be managed for the development of efficient, consistent policy.
To assess what capacity might be necessary to evaluate the cultural impact of the full range of resources government makes available through agencies.
Where there is more than one cultural portfolio, to develop mechanisms for effective co-ordination, and the setting of priorities across portfolios.
To assess central government’s role in relation to the roles of local government and the private sector.
To examine the success of cultural policy in giving effect to the Treaty partnership.
To develop principles that would govern an equitable distribution of resources between Maori and non-Maori cultural activities.
To clarify those cultural functions that need to be performed by government departments - as opposed to Crown entities or other agencies.
To consider the government’s broadcasting policies and structures to determine whether they are contributing most effectively to the achievement of cultural outcomes.
To examine the role of cultural policy in relation to globalisation.
To assess the importance and the viability of increased levels of cultural diplomacy and cultural exchange.

3
These functions were conferred by the Cabinet Minute which established the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

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