Source: PSA
Creative New Zealand is proposing to cut a third of its workforce – 23 jobs – as part of a sweeping restructure that will fundamentally change how arts funding is delivered across the country, with workers and artists set to pay the price for chronic government underfunding.
Creative NZ is proposing to devolve significant funding responsibility to 16 regional partners from 2027, shifting to a national leadership and oversight role it claims will better meet the sector’s funding challenges. With no increase in government funding, it has told staff it needs ‘to reduce operating costs significantly for the future.’
“This is cultural vandalism. It’s hard proof of the poor choices this government is making. Arts workers and artists are paying because the Government chose to give landlords and tobacco companies billions in tax cuts instead,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The proposal now in front of staff, comes hard on the heels of Dame Lynda Topp’s heartfelt plea at the Aotearoa Music Awards for the Government to properly support the arts. Just days after the death of her twin sister Dame Jools, she told Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith that New Zealand needed ‘a government that says the arts is more important than a defence budget.’
“Dame Lynda put into words what thousands of artists and arts workers know to be true.”
Budget 2026 cut Creative NZ’s government baseline funding by $1.3 million over four years. In total in Budget 2026, Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage was cut by $27 million over four years, with Defence given a $1.6 billion boost.
“The creative sector contributes around 4.2 percent of GDP. That tells you everything you need to know about the Government’s priorities.”
The proposal involves disestablishing or reducing dozens of roles, including specialists in Māori and Pacific arts, literature, music, theatre, dance, and visual arts.
“These are not back-office jobs. These are people with deep expertise and genuine relationships in the sector, who work alongside artists and arts organisations every day. Cutting them is a serious hollowing out of mana, trust and capability,” Fitzsimons said.
“Devolution done well can work. But with the arts sector in many regions already stretched this loss of expertise could end up undermining the very thing Creative NZ is trying to support, empowering stronger regional connections with local artists and cultural organisations.
“Bedding in a new system will be challenging with fewer staff who know their way around the arts system. Workloads will increase. Creative NZ doesn’t even know if there are enough regional partners capable of taking over distributing some $40 million of funding.
“Dame Lynda Topp was right. Artists and those who support them like those at Creative NZ deserve better. The PSA will be strongly opposing the cuts to roles in its submission to Creative NZ on the proposal.
“New Zealanders are defined by their culture and their art as Dame Lynda said so powerfully last week. We are all richer for it. The PSA calls on the Government to hear that message, and act on it.”
Background
28 May 2026 Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage factsheet, Budget 2026 (Manatu Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage)
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.