Sometimes, outrage gives way to annoyance. The two news stories that struck me the most this week also had me sighing. They are both about having to fight for the arts’ survival. The first is the quiet cutting of Art History from the high school curriculum. The news came from Erica Stanford, Minister of Education, last Thursday in a press release titled Future focused secondary school subjects. It unveiled an updated list of subjects – sans Art History – intended to ensure students are “prepared for the jobs of tomorrow” and designed to recognise the “growing importance of STEM”. 

When I read about the cut on The Post on Monday, there was a flash of anger. I know how important Art History is because it taught me about the world. There I was, a pimply and clueless teenager in suburban Tāmaki Makaurau, looking at photos of Womanhouse, the collaborative 1972 project led by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. The kitchen was studded with breasts, the bathroom was bloodied, and a mannequin was severed by the linen cupboard’s shelves. It was in the early 2000s, and it was revolutionary to me. I had never heard of feminism before. 

I knew that the cut was not something we could let pass quietly. How lucky for me, for us, that when I contacted Kirsty Baker about it she too was fuming, and ready to put it all down in words. She argued for Art History not on the grounds of employment or dollar value (although these arguments could be made) but instead on a more intrinsic value of Art History – that it gives students an expansive, generative and radical lens through which to make sense of the world. This approach reminds me of the iconic Audre Lorde quote, “For the master’s tool will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.”

The second thing irking me this week is the local elections. The signs are up, your papers should have arrived, and voting is open. Historically, engagement is low. In 2022 only 41.5% of eligible people voted, far below the 77.5% who voted in the 2023 parliamentary elections. The feeling in the air this time around suggests little change. The front-runner for Mayor in our biggest city has listed just one priority on his Policy.nz profile: “Fix Auckland”. His two recreation and culture policies are “continue to develop community facilities,” and “ensure strong governance and evaluation of expenditure.” It’s easy to guess what he means by evaluation of expenditure.

A little ray of hope has come in the form of a new campaign developed by Taumata Toi-a-iwi and Creative Waikato, with the support of Creative New Zealand. Creativity Belongs Here aims to inspire people not only to vote but to have an arts and creative lens when deciding who to vote for. I’ve seen the campaign’s social media tiles cropping up on my feeds with their bright stickers saying things like “Vote for connection, culture & community”. The campaign has put together a toolkit that includes key messages, chunks of ready-to-use copy, a guide to hosting a voting party and questions to ask candidates. They’re relying on organisations, groups and individual people to spread the message. 

Given the situation, it is good and essential to advocate for the arts. But it's also something I’m tired of. We push the boulder up the hill only for there never to be a place to put it where it won’t roll back down. I can’t help but wonder how much more we could achieve if so much energy wasn’t spent on fighting to exist. 

News from the wire:

A new contemporary art magazine appears

Becky Hemus, who has enlivened contemporary art coverage for at least the past five years through The Art Paper and Art News Aotearoa, has launched a new magazine. The Current’s arrival in print is a few months away, but there’s already some great artist interviews on its Instagram.

Waiata week

It's the 50th Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, and “Waiata is one of the easiest and fun ways to access and learn te reo Māori,” says Dame Hinewehi Mohi, founder of Waiata Anthems. Check out the playlist on Apple Music, Tidal or YouTube.

Another drip of info on the 2026 Arts Organisations and Groups Fund

We’ve known for almost a year that CNZ’s Tōtara and Kahikatea funding programmes are to be replaced with an expanded Arts Organisations and Groups Fund, but details have not been forthcoming.

Now we know the extended fund will have three pools, General, Ngā Toi and Pacific, over four tiers: tier 1, up to $50,000 per year; tier 2, up to $125,000 per year; tier 3, up to $500,000 per year and tier 4 over $500,001 per year.

Applications for Tiers 3 and 4 will be open first, from February to March 2026. Results will be notified in July. Tiers 1 and 2 will be open for applications from March to May 2026, with results notified in September. Organisations and groups can apply for one, two or three years of funding for programmes starting in 2027.

CNZ are expecting high demand, so are warning that even strong applications might not receive support or could receive less support or a shorter duration than requested. They don’t generally plan on funding more than 70% of annual turnovers from the previous year, as the fund is intended as a “contribution”.

Southern Filmmakers Collective relaunch Little Cinema

Little Cinema, the South’s short film showcase, “has always been about community and creativity,” says Reece Hallum, Southern Film Collective member. “It’s intimate, it’s celebratory, and it’s uniquely Southern.” Applications are open now – films must be under 15 minutes and by filmmakers living in or connected to Otago or Southland. 

Access not inclusion

Touch Compass launched a campaign on Monday. #yestoaccessnz is all about semantics. They’re asking that we move away from using the word inclusion, arguing that it reinforces the idea of disabled people as outsiders being allowed in. Access it is!

Cash for writers

Copyright Licensing New Zealand and New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc have awarded Rosetta Allan, Taryn Dryfhout, Jacquie Mcrae and Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith $5,000 each to work on projects.

New report reveals creative sector bigger and better than commonly perceived

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub was tasked by Toi Mai to articulate the economic contribution of New Zealand’s creative sector. Eaqub says he was “surprised” by how productive the sector is and how much it is improving. The report, released on Tuesday, shows that the creative was worth almost $13 billion in 2022 (4% of GDP) and is growing rapidly. It also showed the sector's exports were worth $3.6 billion in 2023 – behind only dairy, meat and forestry.

Interestingly, Eaqub found a disconnect between qualifications and employment. 80% of people working in creative industries or occupations don’t have creative qualifications, while 86% of people with creative qualifications aren’t in creative roles.

Show Me Shorts reveals 20th anniversary programme

126 screenings, 40 venues, 7–27 October, nationwide, huge! Booklets are out and about at cinemas and libraries. Of particular interest is a collection from China, a retrospective of iconic New Zealand films and “massive” opening night parties ;) in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Plays for the Young shortlist announced

Playmarket has announced eight shortlisted playwrights across three categories of their competitions. For plays aimed at 3-8 year olds Ana Bremer, Sarah Penny and Ryan Cundy are in the running. Sally Sutton is the only shortlisted playwright in the 8-12 year old category (with two different plays). Lindsey Brown, Cindy Diver, Kelly Gilbride and Alex Medland are in the running for the teen category.

Little Dog Barking announces closure as founder honoured

The late Peter Wilson, who founded Little Dog Barking Theatre Company in 2010, has been named a Member of Honour of The Union Internationale de la Marionette. It’s bittersweet timing for Little Dog, audience demand and income haven't recovered after Covid, and so the hard call to close has been made. Their party pigs will be missed.

Boycott Spotify NZ get further coverage

Thanks to an angsty punk-rock protest anthem by Tiki Taane, both RNZ and The Spinoff have finally covered the Spotify boycott here in Aotearoa.

City to Sea bridge demolition paused

Wellington’s polarising bridge was not demolished as planned last week. Instead the Wellington City Council are waiting for the outcome of a government review. Stuff reported that project manager James Roberts said there could be “options” for the bridge’s future depending on the review’s findings.

Billy T Award nominees announced

Out of 18 acts, five rising stars have been nominated for the coveted yellow towel: Henry Yan, Joel Vinsen, Kipling DC (Ngāpuhi), Opeti Vaka (Ngāti Porou) and Samantha Hannah. The winner will be announced at the closing of the NZ International Comedy Festival in May 2026.

Further reading

Harrison Freeth reflects on his three-month Fale-ship Residency at Tautai in a thoughtful essay which takes his Great Nana’s 1910s Grey Lynn villa as a starting point.

James Dignan takes us on a jaunt around Dunedin’s galleries.

At 247 Symonds Street in central Auckland, a 1925 shopfront shifts between a gallery and a lounge. Kim Meredith presents her bingo card on the chaos, charm and curveballs that have shaped her gallery.

On The Spinoff, Sarah Maguire, CEO of Museums Aotearoa and art history graduate, tracks down her classmates to see how the subject served them.

Simon Endres’ anxious misfits have taken up residence in a flood-damaged state house on Tawariki Street in Tāmaki Makaurau this month. He spoke to Culture 101 about the exhibition.

A new hour-long documentary from RNZ allows Joy Cowley to tell the story of her astonishing life in all its highs and lows.

If you have news, a scoop or an otherwise interesting tidbit you’d like me to write about, email me at editor@thebigidea.co.nz