Drama New Zealand

Drama New Zealand weclomes the news that Creative New Zealand is to restructure but asks how will this positively affect the development of Drama in Education?

CNZ announcement

The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage has released the recommended structure for Creative New Zealand’s governance. 

 The governance structure proposed by the Minister would replace the Arts Council, the Arts Board, Te Waka Toi and the Pacific Arts Committee with a single board which will take responsibility for strategy setting, policy-making and funding allocation. It is expected to free Creative New Zealand staff to spend more time with the arts community helping New Zealand artists and arts organisations to develop, rather than servicing the governance structure.

 The proposal also offers a basis for more efficient and effective decision-making, particularly because it removes the split between policy setting and funding allocation.  This would, in turn, provide the arts sector with a clearer picture of roles and responsibilities.

 The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage anticipates introducing to Parliament this year a Bill to effect changes to the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act.  The timing of the introduction of any Bill is at this stage uncertain, and once introduced the Bill would be subject to Parliamentary process.  

 Once a Bill is introduced and referred to a Select Committee there is an opportunity for public submissions before it is finalised.  It will, therefore, be some time before any changes are implemented.  If the Bill were passed in 2010, the earliest it would take effect would be some time in 2011.