Copyright changes to benefit musicians and museums

At the end of Music Month, Cameron Brewer, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Paul Goldsmith, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, announced changes to the Copyright Act that will extend copyright protection for music recordings from 50 years to 70 years. Other types of works, like lyrics, will be protected for 70 years after the creator’s death. This brings New Zealand’s law into line with global standards, and protects a bevy of iconic songs from the 1970s by bands like Split Enz, Hello Sailor, and Dragon that are coming up on that half decade. 

“These recordings are not just nostalgic classics,” said Brewer. “They are the work of New Zealand artists who created something lasting, and they deserve to keep earning from that work.” Goldsmith said that the issue had been raised by the music industry for a “long time”. In turn the industry has welcomed the news happily. Recorded Music NZ CEO, Jo Oliver, says “It's great news that this government is finally fixing the unfair anomaly in New Zealand copyright law,” and Anthony Healey, Head of APRA AMCOS Aotearoa, says that the next challenge is speed, to “ensure that iconic records and other works don’t fall out of protection in the meantime.”

The changes were agreed to as part of free trade agreements with the UK and EU in 2023 and 2024 – so it seems the onus came from a desire to facilitate trade rather than a desire to support musicians. In any case, they must be in place by May 2028, and they’ve opened the door to more updates to copyright law in Aotearoa. Brewer saw an opportunity to make “other improvements” and got busy, proposing targeted updates to modernise the act to cabinet's Economic Policy Committee. The government is now progressing these changes, which include:

• Supporting not-for-profit gallery, library, archive and museum organisations to preserve and provide access to collections, including by making digital copies for preservation and access, with safeguards for copyright owners
• Introducing a new fair dealing exception for parody and satire
• Enabling copyright licensing organisations to take collective action on behalf of copyright owners to prevent infringement
• Changing the default rule for commissioned works so that creators are the first copyright owners unless agreed otherwise
• Extending resale royalty rights for visual artists by 20 years

In regards to the first point, Sam Irvine, chief executive at Copyright Licensing New Zealand, says there is already an exemption for GLAM institutions to digitise books, songs, and artworks for preservations, and commercial options for acquiring and lending. Catriona McPherson, rights manager at Te Papa Tongarewa, says that for most of their digitisation work, the changes will “confirm rather than transform our practice,” with more legal clarity and less risk, so Te Papa can “focus on what we're here to do”. Te Papa has been involved in bringing about these changes and submitted on copyright reform almost a decade ago, so this is a “genuinely exciting moment,” even if not transformational.

McPherson says the biggest change will be the potential to use digitised images of in-copyright works on Collections Online without needing a licence. A million taonga have already been made accessible to audiences around the world through that platform, and the changes could exponentially grow this reach. “The proposed changes recognise that copyright law should enable, not hinder, the preservation and sharing of artworks and taonga,” she says.

Over at Archives New Zealand and The National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, national librarian Rachel Esson says the institutions have consistently supported updates to “GLAM exceptions” in the Copyright Act. She says they support changes that “support the public good purposes of GLAMs, by facilitating access to knowledge, creativity and skills without impinging on the protection of creators’ rights.” Irvine chimes in on this last point, saying, “any changes to that regulation should be looked at through the lens of supporting a creative and their work, not just giving away their work for free.”

Another future change has been signposted too. Brewer will be reporting back to cabinet with a possible copyright framework for generative AI by 31 March next year, if all goes to plan. The technology raises complex questions and Brewer says he will be looking at different approaches by other countries as he considers what our policy could look like. Irvine says this is a step in the right direction, as very little policy work on this has been done in Aotearoa. Over the ditch in Australia, the government has been in consultation with the creative sector, and other stakeholders, for over a year. Hopefully similar engagement is on the cards. “What we definitely don't want,” says Irvine, “is policy made up by big tech to support their ambitions for free access to creatives work here.”

Folly Press launches with four titles

You may know it as a literary journal, the one that was pulled from Whitcoulls’ shelves, but Folly is expanding into publishing other titles, and four will be released this year – without a cent of public funding. Publisher Emily Broadmore says the books will be giftable and beautifully made to compete with doom scrolling. The first, launching on 1 August, is a debut by Charlotte Bell, a confessional addiction memoir titled One Year Out. Broadmore says it's “unexpectedly funny,” and that the candid story provokes reflection on who society supports to recover. Following that is an erotica anthology, a divorce survival kit, and the most international issue of Folly Journal yet.

18 years of The Big Idea archived by the National Library

When we transitioned to our beautiful new website earlier this year, there were some tough decisions to be made. The old website, while broken, held 20 years of content. It wasn’t possible to migrate everything, but we knew we wanted all of this to be kept safe and accessible. When we contacted the National Library for their advice and support, we found out that they had quietly been archiving our site since 2008. Now, 30 versions, from different points in time, of The Big Idea can be accessed on their website – we’ve added this link to our navigation up top too. It's incredible not only because of the historical content, but because the previous designs of the website have been archived too. We have more we want to do with the archive, namely create a searchable data-base, but for now, have a browse!

Mini Arts Grants fund 11 projects in the Bay of Plenty

The Creative Bay of Plenty and TECT Western Bay Mini Arts Grants prioritise accessible, grassroots initiatives that encourage participation, skill building, and cultural expression across diverse art forms. They provide up to $2,000. The funded projects are varied, spanning youth workshops, kaupapa Māori programmes, public art, and local performances. Young musicians will have the opportunity to perform original work at The Jam Factory, rangatahi interested in screen acting will be able to take part in a free hands workshop focused on camera technique and audition skills, a music production clinic will give emerging artists the chance to explore technology and sound in a studio environment, a series of wānanga will offer creative learning experiences rooted in culture and community including uku based sound vessel workshops for tamariki in Ōmokoroa, an intergenerational storytelling project in Maketū retelling the Te Arawa waka landing story through performance, and a kaupapa Māori creative series designed to create safe spaces for takatāpui connection and expression. Murals for Envirohub in Tauranga, Ōkahukura Studio, and other community spaces have also been funded.

“Time and again, we see passionate people turn modest funding into projects that unlock creativity, build skills, strengthen community connections, and create lasting impact,” says Creative Bay of Plenty’s Annie Hill.

Michael King Writers Centre announces recipient of exchange with Australia 

In October Hazel Phillips, who lives in Ohakune next to the Mangawhero River, will spend three weeks at the Varuna, the Australian National Writers House in the Blue Mountains. She is the author of five books and will work on her debut novel and appear at the Blue Mountains Writers Festival. In exchange the Michael King Writers Centre will host Australian writer Hazel Nam while he works on his next book, a poetic geography of Melbourne/Naarm.

Children’s Book Awards shortlist recognised established and new voices

The 2026 awards’ judges have selected 30 finalists from 159 entries, with the help of thousands of young readers from 50 schools across the motu who contributed more than 450 in-depth reviews. The judges say the writers are drawing confidently on language, culture, and identity to tell stories. “They reflect the diversity of both the children reading these stories, and of Aotearoa in 2026,” says convenor of judges Simie Simpson. The 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalists are:

BookHub Picture Book Award 

A Guide to Rocks, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata), (Huia Publishers); Koro Wētā, Heather Haylock, illustrated by Sarah Trolle, translated by Ngairo Eruera (Ngāti Ranginui, Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa) (Oratia Books); Left to Nowhere, Ian Chapman (One Tree House); Pūkeko Who-keko? Toby Morris (Penguin Random House), The Only Dinosaur in School, Leonie Agnew, illustrated by Julia Hegetusch (Muaūpoko) (Scholastic New Zealand)

Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 

Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum, Hannah Tunnicliffe, illustrated by Erica Harrison (Flying Eye Books); Dreamslinger, Graci Kim (Penguin Random House New Zealand); Kimi the Kekeno’s Big Adventure, Shelley Burne-Field (Ngāti Mutanga, Ngāti Rārua) (Allen & Unwin Aotearoa); The Terrible Trio 1: The (not so) Superheroes, Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Minky Stapleton (Scholastic New Zealand); Violet and the Velvets 2: The Case of the Angry Ghost, Rachael King (Allen & Unwin Aotearoa)

Wheelers Books Award for Young Adult Fiction 

Hiva & Heartbeats, Selina Alesana Alefosio (Mila’s Books); It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That, Hannah Marshall (Allen & Unwin Aotearoa); Spider Games: In the City of Spies, Brian Falkner (Bateman Books); The Lost Saint, Rachael Craw (Allen & Unwin Aotearoa); The Retreat, Helen Vivienne Fletcher (HVF Publishing Ltd)

Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction 

Hooked: Learning to Fish, Al Brown, illustrated by Hope McConnell (Allen & Unwin Aotearoa); Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook, Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press, Lerner Publishing Group); Survive Aotearoa, Bronwen Wall and Jonathan Kennett, illustrated by Kimberly Andrews (Kennett Brothers Ltd); Taniwha, Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) (Penguin Random House); Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu) (Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand)

Russell Clark Award for Illustration 

At Home on the Farm, Ned Barraud (Scholastic New Zealand); Folk Remedy 1: The Hidden World of the Yōkai, Jem Yoshioka (Andrews McMeel); Kupe and the Great Octopus of Muturangi, Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau) (Allen and Unwin Aotearoa); Taniwha, Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) (Penguin Random House); Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu) (Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand)

Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Awards for Te Reo Māori

He Taonga te Toka, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata), translated by Kawata Teepa (Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea ) (Huia Publishers); Kupe me te Wheke nui a Muturangi, Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau) (Allen and Unwin Aotearoa); Matariki ki te Ao, Miriama Kamo (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga) and Rangi Matamua (Tūhoe), illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), translated by Pānia Papa (Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta) and Leon Blake (Tūhoe, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, Waikato, Ngāti Whāwhākia, Ngāti Porou, Taranaki, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāi Tai) (Scholastic New Zealand); Taku Ikura Tuatahi, Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao), illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), translated by Stacey Morrison (Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa waka) (QIANE+co); Te Onehaumako, Zeb Tamihana Nicklin (Pāhauwera, Ruapani, Tūhoe, Tāmanuhiri) (Huia Publishers)

NZSA Best First Book Award 

Folk Remedy 1: The Hidden World of the Yōkai, Jem Yoshioka (Andrews McMeel); Hiva & Heartbeats, Selina Alesana Alefosio (Mila’s Books); Hunt for Niu Tupu, Inangaro Vakaafi, illustrated by Maka Makatoa (Mila’s Books); Te Onehaumako, Zeb Tamihana Nicklin (Pāhauwera, Ruapani, Tūhoe, Tāmanuhiri) (Huia Publishers); The Lost Words, Kimberley Kearney (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tuhoe), illustrated by Taylor Terewai Tiave (Ngāpuhi) (Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand)

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Wellington on 19 August. The winners of the first six categories will take home $8,500 and are then in the running to win the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, an award with an additional $8,500 prize. $2,500 will be awarded to the Best First Book.

Leroy Nurkka wins Playwrights b4 25

Playwrights b4 25 recognises the best new writing for the stage by writers under the age of 25. Leroy Nurkka’s (Kūki ‘Āirani, Finland) new play Queen Bitch, a grounded, poetic drama set against a landscape of partying, has won $1,500 thanks to Auckland Live and Playmarket. The play deftly balances absurdist comedy, erotic tenderness and psychological horror, with one judge describing it as “memorable and wholly original.”

Four APRA Professional Development Award recipients announced

Geneva Alexander-Marsters (Geneva AM), Lachlan Anderson, Jazmine Mary, Jenny Mitchell, and Liam Richards (Te Wehi) have each won $10,000 to contribute towards the next step of their career – mentorships, internships, craft development, or attending art residencies and upskilling camps. One juror offered this message: “What attracted the panel to these five writers was their approach to their personal development - and - what they intend to do with those newfound learnings once they have absorbed them. Each of them has a genuine connection to the communities they come from, and the artists that surround them. That generous intention to share their upcoming experiences with their peers is what made these successful recipients stand out.”

Jasmine Lovell-Smith and Ruby Solly win Art Music Fund grants

A partnership between APRA AMCOS, the Australian Music Centre, and SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, the Art Music Fund was launched in 2016 in recognition of the limited opportunities for art music composers to have new works performed. The two NZ composers will each receive $AUD7,500 for new projects alongside 15 Australian composers.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Ruby Solly is developing a new work for open instrumentation and fixed media alongside collaborators Jesse Austin-Stewart and Elliot Vaughan. She says “having this grant allows us to do more and to create something that we feel is truly special and that has a chance to both survive and grow.”

Comments are coming in fast and hot on our socials, particularly on last weeks' Artswire. We love to see it! Here's a couple of snippets.

"Arts workers should properly collectivise and make cohesive demands, not rely on magical ‘voter shift’. That doesn’t happen without authentic grassroots organising."

"Artists have always worked across political systems because culture outlasts governments. The real challenge is when funding structures begin rewarding compliance, narratives, or relationships over outcomes. Innovation, risk-taking and artistic experimentation require space for disagreement, critique and failure."

Our international correspondent Genista Jurgens has been at the Venice Biennale. She asks where our voice is, in the face of protests, strikes and closures. 

Naomii Seah visits HARDcore, a new, expansive space on Karangahape Road for and by artists. There's studios upstairs and a shared space for working and events downstairs.

Amelia Berry, aka Amamelia, has a new "sweet, soppy" album and shares her views on production in a Shameless Plug.