It’s time for Revolution! 

Well, maybe a small, non-violent, arty one?

We have been calling for signatures for our Reinstate The Creatives In Schools Programme since October 2024, after the government unexpectedly axed it, cancelling several projects already in progress and denying 1000’s of children access to quality arts programmes.  

Currently, we have nearly 3000 signatures, and on Tuesday 13 May at 12pm, we will present it to parliament (you can sign it here).

The Creatives in Schools (CiS) programme ran for 4 years, and key findings from the evaluations suggested that it was a high-performing programme that supported ākonga and provided a powerful example of how to deliver the school arts curriculum in the 21st century.

Why Now? Another Petition? Seriously?

There seems to be so much to protest about under this current government, and I, too, have lost track of the number of petitions I have signed. ( Don’t get me started on this week's complete blindsiding on the change to pay equality law!) 

The call to reinstate CiS may seem like a small fish in an ocean of troubles,  but surely it is fundamental to the well-being of our country to nurture the hearts and minds of our youngest citizens and make the arts accessible to all. 

If nothing else, learning and experiencing through the arts can encourage them to govern our country in the future with more empathy, critical thinking, care and common sense than that which is currently being displayed.

The current government says they are worried about school attendance, school achievement and mental health amongst young people. The CiS programme provided solutions to many of these issues.  It was proven to increase engagement with school for many, as well as raising the confidence of  both teachers and students, and it also, (Attention David Seymour), increased attendance rates. 

The government is obsessed with student outcomes and ‘results’ in numeracy and literacy. The CiS programme actively supported research that proves an arts-rich education increases student achievement in all areas of the curriculum.

Arts minister Paul Goldsmith wants to “nurture talent and encourage more New Zealanders to actively engage with New Zealand arts, culture and heritage.” He has a vision that “the next generation of Kiwis will grow up with access to a wide variety of arts and culture”. The Creatives in Schools programme did this. So why was it cut?

Goldsmith replied to this question with, “The Government recognises the need for a more strategic and systemic approach to arts education. and  that Creatives in Schools was a successful programme, but it only targeted a select number of schools.”

Well, minister - now it’s targeting none!

Coupled with a squeeze on arts education and reports that touring performing arts companies are having challenges engaging with schools because “teachers are too busy focusing on rigorous standards and changes imposed by the Ministry of Education”, New Zealand Children and Young People are at risk of growing up without access to the arts. 

A strategic and systematic approach is all well and good, but how long will that take? At what cost?  And do we really trust a government that has so far ignored expert advice and research in so many areas, in particular education? 

Why does this matter?

The arts are not a nice-to-have. 

The arts help young people engage their imaginations, dream big and imagine a better future. The arts encourage children to work collaboratively with others, solve problems, develop resilience and to think outside the square. 

Educating through the arts teaches core skills and competencies in a way that is organic and visceral. An arts-based education embodies the values of kanohi ki te kanohi, which ensures that relationships, communication, empathy and humanity are developed. Not only is studying through the arts a proven way to strengthen your ‘soft (life!) skills’ - such as; communication, leadership, problem-solving, work ethic, time management, and interpersonal skills - further competencies such as collaboration, creativity, resilience, critical thinking and courage are strengthened through an arts-rich education.

I ask, if we further strip the arts from New Zealand education - what sort of future Aotearoa will we have?

We call on the government to reinstate this programme immediately, and this doesn't mean faff around for another year and then attempt to roll out a lower-cost ‘better’ version of it (Lunches in Schools, anyone?) There is no need to ‘reinvent the wheel.’ We can pick it up from where we left off, thanks. 

We call for future governments to further strengthen the programme and roll it out to ALL schools in Aotearoa. 

Creatives in Schools was a low-cost, multi-agency funded programme that worked, it needs reinstating and strengthening so that all NZ Children can benefit from it.

Join in

Sign and share our petition and join us at Parliament on 13 May at noon - there will be speeches from artists and young people who benefited from this programme. 

“The challenges we face in our time are real and urgent, and they are all the result of human creativity. To meet these challenges, we have to harness our creativity to a more compassionate and sustainable vision of the world we want to live in, and the lives we hope to lead….The solution now is to cultivate our creativity with a more determined sense of purpose.”  (Ken Robinson)