Jeremy Mayall is a composer, researcher, and musician based in Kirikiriroa. He is also the CEO of Creative Waikato, a regional arts organisation working towards a Waikato Region that thrives with diverse and transformative creative activity. He is a joyful advocate for arts, culture and creativity and the role that they play as an essential part of our communities. 

Local government elections are happening now in our communities across the motu. Every three years we get the opportunity to engage in democracy, use our voice and vote for candidates that inspire us. 

Elections should be a time to inspire communities, to imagine exciting possibilities for how our spaces and places can thrive, be vibrant and liveable.

But sometimes elections get caught up in conflicts and conversations about little details. Pet peeves. Complex systems and quick solutions. In the flurry of politicking and messaging and noise it can seem hard to know how to engage.

In 2022, only 36% of eligible New Zealanders voted in local body elections – but the decisions councils make affect all of us, everyday. Councils represent us and our communities, so it's incredibly important we have a say on what they look like and what decisions they’ll make. 

So why are these elections important for the arts?

Well, local governments are one of the major funders of arts and culture in Aotearoa. Arts Funding 101 shows us that “local councils funding community events, cultural festivals, local galleries and libraries, public art and more, collectively contribute between $500-600 million each year.” Local government are a crucial part of the arts funding ecosystem.

Councils influence what facilities exist (libraries, galleries, theatres), what gets funded (festivals, public art), and how accessible arts experiences are for all our communities. Local councils can provide funds, and resources such as venues and public programming, to support arts, culture and creativity in their communities. They enable, provide or make contributions to spaces, places and services like parks, gardens, libraries, community halls, sports fields, theatres, and more – all spaces where creativity can flourish. All spaces that voters care about. 

That this support is often a critical component in enabling this work to happen. Council support often kickstarts other support, enabling other funders to come on board. Councils can provide investment into making the work of artists, creatives and community organisations accessible and engaging in the spaces and places we live.

How can we get voters to consider this when ticking their boxes?

Te Taumata Toi-A-Iwi and Creative Waikato have been working together with the support of Creative NZ to develop a hopeful and inspiring campaign, ‘Creativity Belongs Here’. It is all about reminding people that with our vote we can make a point of using our love and value of arts, culture, creativity and ngā toi Māori as a frame for understanding the position of different candidates in your local election. This project has been supported by the Regional Arts Network Aotearoa, a group of organisations from around the motu passionate about supporting creative things in local communities. 

Creativity Belongs Here is a message. It is a resource pack. It is a space for the community voice. It is a toolkit that you can use to express these ideas confidently in your own neighbourhood. You can post to social media, make posters for your spaces, organise voting parties, share the resources. Not everyone understands how the creative sector is impacted by local government, so it’s important to get the information out there. 

Creativity Belongs Here on the Arts Action Now website is filled with all of these things. It is usable, convertible and hopefully can make the process of encouraging more arts, culture and creativity a workable thing for you.

Ultimately, it comes down to each of us taking the opportunity to use our voice by voting for candidates who share a vision for the future (or at least the next three years) that inspires us. To find people who can represent you and your values and areas of interest at the local level. To find that mix of people who might help get us collectively closer to a positive outcome. 

It’s about voting for people who know that creativity is important. That we want to live in towns, cities, villages, regions, that embrace arts and culture in all its forms, because we understand that doing so leads to great community connection, wellbeing, economic outcomes and much more.

It is about finding some candidates who express views and values that align with your thoughts. Policy.nz is a great tool to help you do this, as are interviews and conversations with candidates. Not everyone will be the perfect match, but you can still find people who might be helpful in supporting the things that you love the most. For many of us in the creative ecosystem it is important to help those potential future mayors and councillors understand how important arts, culture, creativity and ngā toi Māori are to you and your community – as well as all of the value they bring. 

Of course, the current situation is complex. There are economic pressures, social pressures, and the need to navigate complex systems that will have a range of different impacts. But the choice to vote doesn’t have to be too complicated. Explore what the candidates are saying, think about the future you want, and vote in a way that brings those two things together. 

For those of us in the sector, we know we want local councils that support local creative activity. We want arts, culture and creativity to be seen and understood as essential parts of modern life. Those activities provide spaces to connect, enable entertainment and joy, and contribute to city pride and connection to place. Listen to Mark Roach, Judy Darragh and Liv Tennet explain this in their own words. We can hold this in mind as we fill in those voting papers. 

Creativity belongs everywhere. No matter how big or small the city or district or community is. Creativity belongs here. It is in our infrastructure. It is in our venues.  It is in our classrooms. It is in our communities. 

Voting closes on October 11. Vote with creativity in mind. Encourage those who are standing for local government to understand how creativity connects with their mahi and can support what they do.