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Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage is funded $450m in 2024/25 ($1.6 billion dollars over four years).  

This $450m supports the cultural system to deliver a wide range of benefits to New Zealanders through arts, heritage and media.

Our cultural sectors contribute to innovation and economic prosperity, boost tourism and grow highly-skilled, world-class talent. The cultural sectors support and promote our national heritage and unique identity, contribute to social cohesion and play a crucial role in supporting democracy and our way of life in Aotearoa.

Budget 2024 redistributes investment within the Vote to ensure investment is going to the places that need it the most. New funding has gone to Te Matatini and the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, to address fiscal cliffs.

The majority of Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage goes to funded entities delivering services or providing grants in communities. We recognise the increasing costs on cultural organisations, practitioners and funding models, and the challenges in obtaining revenue from other sources.

New funding

Two new initiatives under Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage have been successful in Budget 2024. These are:

• $67.4m over two years for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate. This initiative provides funding to meet existing demand from eligible New Zealand productions for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate.
• $48.7m over three years to support Te Matatini  to continue to deliver kapa haka  to New Zealanders. This ongoing funding for kapa haka  addresses the current 'fiscal cliff’, which meant funding for Te Matatini  ended in 2025, and provides Te Matatini  and the kapa haka  community with financial certainty for the coming years. This investment enables Te Matatini  to embed its regional development model and aligns with Te Matatini’s work throughout 2023/24 to expand from a biennial, national festival to support kapa haka  in the regions. This funding will support a thriving kapa haka  sector, with strong regional networks and development opportunities for practitioners.

Savings made for Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage

In Budget 2024, the Government recognises the significant cost pressures the arts and cultural sectors are facing and the end of time-limited funding.

Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage includes a savings package of $42.2m over four years. This is a 3% baseline reduction to the Vote.

The savings package comes from a reduction in funding for and managed by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage ($36.673m over four years), as well as reduced funding to Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision ($2.484m over four years), the New Zealand Film Commission ($1.62m over four years) and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra ($1.452m over four years).

Factsheet for Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage

For more information, visit the New Zealand Treasury Budget 2024 website:

Budget 2024 (NZ Treasury)