The Ministry supports the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, the Minister of Broadcasting and the Minister for Sport and Recreation, providing advice on where government best focuses its interventions in the cultural sector. We seek to ensure that Vote funding is invested as effectively and efficiently as possible, that it delivers the best outcomes for New Zealanders, and that government priorities are met.
Some delivery activities we are directed to undertake ourselves. For example, the Ministry has a strong track record of producing high quality historical and reference resources; these days they are primarily web-based. The Ministry has a leading role in the provision of national commemorations (including through the WW100 programme) and a range of responsibilities in relation to the protection of cultural treasures and taonga – for example, under the Protected Objects Act 1975 and the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund. We also look after the National War Memorial, and have developed Pukeahu, the National War Memorial Park.
The Ministry’s work prioritises cultural outcomes but recognises their association with educational, economic and social benefits. We work closely, therefore, with a significant number of other government departments, as well as with cultural agencies.
Read the 2017 Four-year plan here (pdf document).
Updated on 11th November 2019