Creative NZ axes nearly 30 jobs as arts funding agency prepares for major overhaul
Monday, 20 July 2026
Creative NZ, the country’s national arts funding agency, has confirmed it will axe more than a third of its workforce, with the organisation shrinking in size from 84 to 55 roles.
The restructure comes as the agency faces significant funding pressure, and prepares to embark on a radical overhaul of how it distributes tens of millions of dollars to artists and arts organisations.
In an emailed statement on Monday, Creative NZ confirmed 29 positions would be disestablished. Thirteen of those roles were currently vacant.
The changes follow extensive consultation with staff, the agency said, and were designed to ensure it could deliver on its strategic priorities.
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“Over the past two years, the Arts Council [that governs the agency] has deliberately reset Creative NZ for the future. We appointed a new chief executive, worked together to develop a new long-term strategy, and have now aligned the organisation’s structure to deliver it. This is not a reaction to short-term pressures - it’s the implementation of a long-term plan,” said Arts Council chairperson Kent Gardner.
The reduction in headcount comes as the agency prepares to hand responsibility for distributing up to $40 million in arts funding to a network of regional partners, marking one of the biggest changes to Creative NZ’s funding model in its history.
Once fully implemented, the new system will see regional organisations make decisions on up to half or more of Creative NZ’s total annual funding - which fluctuates each year, but was just over $70m for 2024/5 - with artists and arts groups applying directly for regional funding through regional partners, rather than the national agency.
Creative NZ will continue to invest directly in national priorities, international activity, specific art forms, and targeted opportunities. The agency hopes to have its new model in place by 2028, or earlier if some regions are ready.
The agency this year had its operating funding cut by $1.3m over four years, by the sitting National-led coalition Government. This represents a reduction from $16.9m in funding given in 2024/5, to $15.6m in four years’ time.
“This is a huge loss of highly experienced staff who help our creative sector thrive, from grassroots community projects to our artists making an impact on the world stage. Losing a third of them means less capacity to support the arts, no matter how the changes are dressed up,” said Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.
“The arts sector will see it for what it is: another public agency gutted while the Government squeezes public spending. You can’t grow the arts sector, and strengthen its contribution to the economy by hollowing out the very agency supporting it.”
Creative NZ’s chief executive Gretchen La Roche said: “We … recognise that change can create uncertainty. Our focus is on supporting our people through the transition and ensuring our work with the artists, organisations and communities we serve is maintained, including retaining valuable experience, expertise and institutional knowledge.”
Confirmation of the new structure comes amid frustration at the amount of funding that is making it to the sector. In a recent major funding round, about 90% of applicants for arts funding were awarded less than they asked for.
While a total of $201m was requested by artists and arts organisations, just $104m was awarded. Just $9.9m went to South Island organisations - and none outside Canterbury or Otago.
Each year the amount of money Creative NZ has to work with fluctuates depending on lotteries money. For the 2024/5 year it had about $70m to use, made up of $16.69m from the Government (a figure that hasn’t increased in years) and the rest from lotteries.