This is our third Arts Policy Briefing, a series where I ask political parties to respond to 15 questions about their policies, plans, and the arts before the election on 7 November. The questions canvas different portfolios and responsibilities, and for this reason, today’s answers are not attributed to National’s spokesperson for the arts and culture and our current Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith. Instead they are attributed simply to a spokesperson for National. This is not to say that National’s response lacks luster – it's just the opposite. Coming in at over 5,000 words, it's likely this will be the most detailed Arts Policy Briefing of the series.
Still, it's likely that should National win enough seats and lead the next government, Goldsmith would continue as Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. He’s an Aucklander, an excellent pianist, a second-dan black belt in taekwondo, and has been working in politics since the 1990s. He entered parliament as a National MP in 2011 and became National’s spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Heritage in 2017. Currently, he famously holds 10 ministerial portfolios: Arts, Culture and Heritage; Justice; Media and Communications; Public Service; Digitising Government; Pacific Peoples and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations; Defence; Veterans; Space; Government Communications Security Bureau and New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.
The current National-led government launched Amplify, the first all-of-government national strategy for arts, culture, creativity and ngā toi Māori, last August. Even Goldsmith’s foil, Labour’s Rachel Boyack, has said that it is a good strategy, even if she does want some changes made to it. The arts sector has widely criticised the fact that the strategy does not come with new funding, on top of the fact that government funding for the arts has remained stagnant for 20 years.
In today’s questions, National double-down on Amplify and a priority to get the government's books back into surplus. Here’s what the spokesperson said in answer to our 15 questions.
What is your party's vision for the arts?
Our vision is for New Zealand to be as well known for its arts and creativity as it is for dairy exports and beautiful scenery. We want a thriving creative sector where more New Zealanders can participate in arts and culture, more artists can build sustainable careers, and our creative industries succeed on the world stage.
Does your party have an arts policy?
Yes. In 2025, the National-led Government launched Amplify: A Creative and Cultural Strategy for New Zealand 2025–2030. It's an action-oriented strategy setting out how government will support the creative and cultural sectors to flourish through investment, developing talent, opening international opportunities and reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers. Importantly, Amplify recognises both the economic contribution of the arts and their wider cultural, social and wellbeing benefits.
More broadly, National is backing the arts through significant investment in music education, screen production, creative industries and events, Māori arts and culture, alongside our wider plan to grow the economy, create jobs and support New Zealand businesses.
If in government, would your party continue the Amplify strategy? Would any changes be made to it? Why?
Yes. Amplify is our strategy, and we're committed to delivering it. It's the first comprehensive, action-oriented creative and cultural strategy in a long time, bringing together public investment, talent development and regulatory reform. Importantly, it includes measurable targets and a phased implementation plan through to 2030.
We've always made clear that Amplify is a living strategy, developed with input from the sector and able to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. We would continue implementing it and consider refinements where the evidence and feedback from the sector show changes are needed. Our priority is delivering results rather than starting again.
What are the main pillars and desired outcomes?
At its heart, Amplify is about giving more New Zealanders the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts, supporting talented people to build successful creative careers, and ensuring our creative industries can thrive at home and internationally.
Amplify has three pillars:
- Nurturing talent: Developing creative skills, supporting sustainable careers and strengthening pathways into the sector.
- Investing for maximum impact: Making public funding easier to access, encouraging philanthropic and private investment, and supporting creative exports and cultural tourism.
- Reducing barriers to growth: Cutting unnecessary regulation, modernising copyright protections and making it easier for creative businesses and organisations to succeed.
We've set three measurable targets for 2030: growing the sector's contribution to GDP to at least $22 billion, creating 5,000 additional creative jobs, and increasing New Zealanders' engagement with arts and culture by 10 per cent.
But success isn't just about the numbers. It's about a child discovering a love of music, creating and enabling opportunities for New Zealand artists to succeed, and ensuring communities across the country can experience the arts, celebrate their culture and tell their stories.
Ultimately, we want a New Zealand where creativity is valued, artists can succeed, and arts and culture are part of everyday life.
Is there one arts-related policy your party will commit to implementing in its first year of government?
Our immediate priority is continuing to deliver Amplify, that includes:
- progressing work to simplify government arts funding so that it’s easier to access and simpler to navigate, with less paperwork and more time for artists to focus on creating.
- supporting Creative New Zealand's transition towards regional partnerships so local communities have a greater say in how the arts are supported and developed in their region and decisions better reflect their needs and aspirations;
- advancing copyright reform so that our artists, musicians and writers can protect their intellectual property and benefit from their creativity.
But it's also about delivering tangible opportunities for New Zealanders. In 2027, we'll see musical instruments reaching more of our classrooms through our $5.6 million investment, helping inspire the next generation of musicians. Beyond the classroom, we're supporting opportunities to participate in Rockquest, The Big Sing and Tangata Beats, alongside cultural celebrations including Polyfest, Matariki, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Lantern Festivals, Africa Day and multicultural festivals across the country.
We'll see the return of Te Matatini, with 57 kapa haka groups celebrating Māori culture on the national stage, supported by the $48.7 million in three-year funding National committed. We can look forward to see our screen industry continue to go from strength to strength, benefiting from the significant additional funding we've committed to domestic and international screen production.
And we want to see talented New Zealand artists, performers and writers sharing their work on the world stage, building on international opportunities supported through Creative New Zealand, including the Venice Biennale, international book fairs and the Berlin Visual Arts Residency, inspiring the next generation of Kiwi creatives to follow in their footsteps.
An important first-year policy milestone will also be the work on generative AI and copyright, with the Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs due to report to Cabinet by 31 March 2027 on options for a New Zealand framework. Our focus is on turning the ambitions of Amplify into practical opportunities for artists, communities and the next generation of New Zealand creative talent.
If in government, will your party allocate more funding to the arts? Would it increase baseline funding to Creative New Zealand? If so, how will this be paid for?
We recognise it's a challenging time for artists and arts organisations, and we understand the concerns about reduced funding. The arts make an enormous contribution to our communities, our culture and our national identity, and we want to see the sector thrive.
But as all those reading will know, many New Zealanders are facing challenging times. Families are still facing cost-of-living pressures and the rising price of fuel has made things even harder for families already struggling to make ends meet.
We're taking steps to address these pressures, but the reality is that around $9 billion of taxpayers' money is spent every year just servicing Government debt. To put that in perspective, that's equivalent to the cost of building more than four new Dunedin Hospitals every year. That's money we know you would rather be used to fund better healthcare, education, infrastructure and the things New Zealanders value, including the arts.
But to get there, we have to make some difficult decisions. We need to bring debt under control, grow the economy and get the Government's books back into surplus. That's how we create the capacity to sustainably invest more in our public services and the arts over time. That's why most government agencies were required to make two per cent baseline savings in Budget 2026. This wasn't about singling out the arts.
And despite these pressures, we're still providing $1.7 billion for arts, culture and heritage over four years, alongside significant investment in our film and television industry, music education, Māori and Pacific arts, and cultural events across New Zealand.
We haven't announced a further increase to Creative New Zealand's baseline funding. Future funding decisions will need to be considered through the Budget process, alongside other priorities. But even when money is tight, there are practical things we can do to help the arts sector grow and thrive. Through Amplify, we're focused on making public funding go further, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and attracting more philanthropic and private investment to create more opportunities for artists and build a stronger, more sustainable creative sector.
Will your party repeal the $100,000 donation tax credit cap, which is likely to affect philanthropic funding?
National recognises the enormous contribution philanthropists make to New Zealand's arts, culture and heritage sector. We welcome the generosity of New Zealanders who give their own money to support great causes, and we don't want to discourage that generosity. However, there is a genuine issue the Government needs to address. Inland Revenue identified risks associated with some charitable giving arrangements, particularly where donors or their associates control the organisations receiving donations. The Government introduced the $100,000 annual cap on donations eligible for tax credits to address these tax-planning risks and ensure the scheme remains financially sustainable.
At the same time, we recognise the concerns raised by charities and major philanthropic donors that the change could discourage genuine charitable giving. Those concerns deserve to be heard, and the Government is listening carefully to feedback about the potential impact. We want to ensure the tax system maintains its integrity without unnecessarily constraining the generosity of New Zealanders who support important causes.
Encouraging philanthropy remains a priority for National. Our Amplify strategy specifically includes work to increase philanthropic and private investment in the arts, diversify funding sources and strengthen the long-term sustainability of arts organisations.
National has not announced plans to repeal the cap, but we recognise the importance of getting the balance right between protecting the integrity of the tax system and supporting genuine charitable giving.
What commitments would your party make to supporting toi Māori?
National recognises that Māori arts, culture and heritage are fundamental to New Zealand's identity. From kapa haka, carving and weaving to contemporary art, literature, music and film, toi Māori helps tell our stories, preserve our traditions and share what makes New Zealand unique with the world. At the heart of much of this is te reo Māori. Our language carries stories, whakapapa, tikanga and cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. If we want Māori arts and culture to flourish for generations to come, we must ensure te reo Māori continues to be learned, spoken and celebrated.
That's why National has placed a strong emphasis on education and giving young New Zealanders the opportunity to learn the language and understand the culture. Budget 2025 provided $14.7 million to help up to 51,000 teachers and kaiako develop their te reo Māori and tikanga skills, alongside $4.5 million for te reo Māori literacy and STEM resources in wharekura. We've also provided a further $2.9 million over four years to support more than 400 kōhanga reo across New Zealand.
Beyond the classroom, the National-led Government has refreshed the Maihi Karauna strategy to strengthen the everyday use of te reo Māori, backed by $48 million over four years for Māori broadcasting, supporting new te reo Māori content, creative talent and digital capability. We've also continued supporting community-led language revitalisation through Te Mātāwai, with $19.4 million provided for this work in 2025/26.
Importantly, National secured ongoing funding for Te Matatini, with $48.7 million over three years. This provides greater certainty for kapa haka, supporting regional competitions and the national festival, while giving communities across the country opportunities to celebrate and pass on Māori performing arts. But supporting Māori arts and culture isn't simply about preserving what has gone before. It's about ensuring our traditions remain a living, vibrant part of New Zealand today, while supporting the next generation to develop their own talents and creativity.
That's why our support extends to communities celebrating and preserving their cultural heritage. In 2025/26, the Government provided $500,000 for more than 100 community-led Matariki activities around the country, including performances, exhibitions, storytelling and wānanga. We've also announced $8 million to help preserve the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, including historic buildings, museums and cultural facilities, ensuring this nationally significant place remains accessible for future generations.
National is also supporting contemporary Māori creativity. Through NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho, programmes such as Waiata Takitahi support artists recording and releasing music featuring te reo Māori. The New Zealand Film Commission supports Māori-led filmmaking through initiatives such as He Pounamu Te Reo Māori, helping bring Māori-language stories to the screen.
And from 2027, the new Shared Ground initiative will bring together Māori filmmakers and Indigenous creatives from Australia and Canada, creating opportunities to develop projects and build international partnerships.
Creative New Zealand also plays an important role in supporting customary and contemporary Māori arts. In its latest funding round, it offered $116 million in multi-year funding to 183 arts organisations, including $15.3 million for 32 organisations through its dedicated Ngā Toi Māori funding pool. Those funding decisions are rightly made independently of Government, but National's expectation is clear: less bureaucracy, more support reaching artists and communities, and better opportunities for creative talent across New Zealand.
We're also supporting Māori creativity on the world stage. Creative New Zealand has backed Māori artists showcasing their work at prestigious international events, including Fiona Pardington at the 2026 Venice Biennale, and artists such as Rangi Kipa and Maureen Lander at the Lyon Biennale in France.
Through the Government's Cultural Diplomacy International Programme, we've also supported Māori filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley's documentary TOITŪ: Visual Sovereignty to reach audiences in the UK and Europe. And in Budget 2026, National backed Te Māori Tū with $10 million over five years in reprioritised funding, creating further opportunities for Māori artists, creatives and businesses to share their work, culture and stories with the world.
These initiatives are supported by our Amplify strategy, which recognises the importance of growing Māori creative industries, developing international opportunities and protecting Māori cultural intellectual property.
A re-elected National Government would continue supporting te reo Māori education and revitalisation, kapa haka, customary and contemporary Māori arts, community cultural celebrations and opportunities for Māori creativity to flourish internationally.
Ultimately, we want to see toi Māori thriving – with language, culture and traditions passed on to future generations, Māori artists and communities having opportunities to develop their talents, and New Zealand's unique cultural identity celebrated here at home and around the world. We will continue to prioritise policies that enable this.
What commitments would your party make to supporting marginalised and under-represented communities to participate in art and art-making?
National believes every New Zealander should have the opportunity to experience and participate in arts and culture, regardless of their background, circumstances, abilities or where they live. The arts do much more than entertain. They bring people together, strengthen communities, support wellbeing and give people opportunities to celebrate their heritage, express their identity and share their stories.
Our Amplify strategy recognises these wider benefits, alongside the importance of removing barriers to participation. We've backed that recognition with practical support. Creative New Zealand has independently offered more than $1.65 million over three years to Arts Access Aotearoa, alongside multi-year funding for inclusive arts organisations such as Touch Compass, Glass Ceiling Arts Collective and Jolt Dance. Creative New Zealand also provides additional funding of up to $5,000 for eligible Deaf and disabled artists to help meet accessibility costs, including interpreters, support workers and accessible travel.
At a grassroots level, the Creative Communities Scheme supports more than 1,800 local arts projects every year, from community choirs and theatre groups to youth arts programmes, multicultural festivals and marae-based workshops. It's about giving people opportunities to participate and create, not simply attend performances. National also recognises the importance of supporting the languages, cultures and traditions that make up modern New Zealand.
Through the $4.2 million annual Ethnic Communities Development Fund, the Government continues to support cultural events and community initiatives including Diwali, Lunar New Year and Lantern Festivals, Africa Day, multicultural music and dance festivals, exhibitions and cultural workshops. We're also supporting Pacific communities to celebrate and pass on their cultures and traditions. That includes Government support for ASB Polyfest, the $1.305 million Pacific Languages Community Fund in 2025/26, and our $250,000 Pasifika Youth Producers Programme partnership with Creative New Zealand, helping 32 young Pasifika people develop skills and career pathways in the creative industries.
Creative New Zealand's latest multi-year funding round also offered support to 32 Māori arts organisations and 27 Pacific arts organisations, recognising the importance of both customary and contemporary artistic expression.
For Deaf New Zealanders, the National-led Government has launched the NZSL Strategy 2026–2036, alongside continued support for community-led initiatives to strengthen New Zealand Sign Language and Deaf culture.
And we're investing $5.6 million in musical instruments for schools and kura, helping remove financial barriers so more children can discover their creativity and develop a love of music, regardless of what their families can afford.
National would continue supporting practical initiatives that remove barriers, celebrate our diverse cultures and give more New Zealanders the opportunity to discover their talents, participate in the arts and share their stories.
How would your party address the concentration of arts funding, infrastructure and opportunities in Auckland and other major centres?
We want artists and creative organisations to have opportunities to succeed wherever they live. Creative New Zealand is moving towards a more regional funding model, giving communities greater influence over their own arts development priorities and making support more responsive to local needs. Its latest multi-year funding round offered $116 million to 183 organisations, including 37 in the South Island.
Funding decisions are rightly made independently of Government, but we've been clear about our expectations: more money reaching artists and communities, less bureaucracy and better opportunities across regional New Zealand.
Amplify also includes growing creative opportunities in the regions and exploring alternative funding sources for regional cultural facilities. We support decisions being made closer to the communities they affect.
What will your party do to protect copyright holders against AI? Thousands of NZ songs have already been found in AI training databases, and NZ books have been found to be used in training LLMs.
We recognise the serious questions generative AI raises about copyright, ownership and fair compensation for creators.
The Government has already announced a package of copyright reforms, including extending protection for sound recordings from 50 to 70 years, strengthening enforcement against infringement and changing the default ownership rules for commissioned works so creators retain copyright unless otherwise agreed.
Generative AI raises additional and more complex questions, particularly around the use of copyrighted works for training AI systems. That's why Cabinet has commissioned further work, with the Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs due to report back by 31 March 2027 on options for a generative AI copyright framework.
We want New Zealand to embrace the opportunities new technology presents while ensuring creators' rights are appropriately protected.
If in government, will your party ensure arts education in schools by protecting creative and arts subjects, such as art history, as part of our national curriculum?
National recognises the importance of arts education in helping young New Zealanders develop their creativity, discover their talents and build an understanding of the world around them. The National-led Government has retained the Arts as a learning area in our refreshed national curriculum, with clearer expectations for teaching music, drama, dance and visual arts.
We've also invested $5.6 million to provide musical instruments to schools and kura, increased support for Rockquest programmes, and provided funding for school choral events, including The Big Sing. For senior-secondary education, the Government is moving towards a more structured, subject-based curriculum. Under the current proposals, Art History would be incorporated into specialist arts subjects rather than retained as a standalone qualification.
We recognise the concerns raised by arts educators and cultural institutions about that approach. The intention is to ensure students continue to learn about the history and cultural context of art, alongside developing their creative knowledge and skills.
Our focus is on giving young New Zealanders strong educational foundations while ensuring the arts remain an important part of their learning.
If in government, will your party support rates caps on local councils? How would this be managed against the funding councils provide to the arts and cultural facilities?
Yes. National has introduced legislation to establish a rates-capping framework because ratepayers cannot continue to shoulder ever-increasing costs, particularly when so many families are already facing cost-of-living pressures.
We recognise councils play an important role in supporting local arts, libraries, museums, galleries and community facilities. These are valued parts of our communities, and decisions about how they are funded will remain with locally elected councils.
Our focus is on ensuring councils can deliver essential infrastructure and valued community services while keeping costs under control and delivering better value for ratepayers. But we're not simply asking councils to do more with less. National is also taking practical steps to help councils manage costs, fund infrastructure and ease the burden on ratepayers.
Budget 2026 established a $400 million Incentives for Growth Fund, providing councils with additional funding linked to housing growth to help meet the costs of infrastructure and local amenities, including parks and community facilities.
We're also reforming how infrastructure is paid for. Under our proposed Development Levies system, Crown agencies would pay their share of infrastructure costs associated with new developments, such as schools and hospitals, rather than leaving those costs to councils and ratepayers. We're strengthening councils' ability to recover infrastructure costs from Fast-track developments and making infrastructure funding and financing more flexible.
Importantly, our rates-capping legislation also provides flexibility for councils facing exceptional circumstances, with exemptions available where additional funding is justified.
National's focus is on giving councils better tools to fund growth, reducing unnecessary costs and ensuring they can continue delivering the services and facilities their communities value, while keeping rates affordable for New Zealanders.
What is an arts policy your party does not support, or a trade-off you believe the sector needs to confront?
We don't support politicians directing individual arts funding decisions. Artistic independence matters, which is why Creative New Zealand operates at arm's length from Government.
We also need to recognise that public funding is finite. New Zealand has significant demands on taxpayer funding, from hospitals and schools to infrastructure and public services. The challenge is making sure arts funding delivers the greatest possible benefit while creating a sector that isn't entirely reliant on Government support.
That's why Amplify focuses on better use of existing funding, developing sustainable creative careers, encouraging philanthropy and private investment, and reducing unnecessary costs and regulation. Public investment will remain important, but it needs to be part of a broader, sustainable funding model.
Many artists and art workers are freelancers or contractors. Will you reform employment protections to improve pay, security and working conditions for these kinds of workers? Will you support artists in other ways financially?
National recognises that building a career in the arts can be challenging, particularly for those working independently or moving between short-term projects. Many artists are effectively running their own small businesses, often juggling multiple contracts and irregular income.
That's why our approach is about providing greater certainty, reducing unnecessary costs and creating more opportunities for people to earn a living from their skills and creativity.
Our Government has introduced changes to employment law to provide greater clarity around contractor arrangements, recognising that flexible ways of working are important to many New Zealanders.
We're also making it easier for small businesses and sole traders to operate. Through National's 47-point Small Business Plan, we're focused on cutting red tape, simplifying tax and compliance requirements, and making it easier for businesses to invest and grow.
We've introduced faster payment requirements for Government agencies, recognising how important reliable cash flow is for independent businesses and contractors.
For creative professionals specifically, our Amplify strategy includes practical support to help artists manage the business side of their careers, including clearer tax guidance for those earning income through royalties, commissions and overseas work, alongside opportunities for mentoring, professional development and on-the-job training.
We're also supporting artists financially through Creative New Zealand's independent funding programmes, including $650,000 awarded to 25 artists through its latest Creative Fellowship round, and progressing copyright reform so creators can better protect and benefit from their work.
National’s focus is on giving independent artists greater opportunities to succeed, reducing the barriers they face and helping more New Zealanders build sustainable careers from their creativity.
Arts careers and organisations operate on long-term timelines, while governments can change every three years. What would your party do to create stability for the sector?
That's precisely why we've established Amplify as a five-year strategy through to 2030, with clear targets, an implementation plan and an ongoing programme of work. We've also secured long-term funding for Te Matatini, backed significant investment in screen production and supported initiatives to develop creative talent and sustainable careers.
Creative New Zealand has independently offered $116 million in multi-year funding to 183 arts organisations, giving successful applicants greater certainty to plan ahead. We're also working through Amplify to attract more philanthropic and private investment, so organisations can diversify their funding and become more financially resilient. Our goal is a thriving, sustainable creative sector that has the confidence to invest, develop talent and plan for the future.
