New Zealanders and the Arts — Ko Aotearoa me ōna Toi provides a benchmark for New Zealanders’ engagement with the arts over time. This research has been done every three years since 2005 – the only longitudinal survey of its kind in Aotearoa.
The research provides a rich picture of the powerful impact the arts have on our lives, for both adults and young people alike.
The 2020 report is the sixth edition of the research and provides much for us to acknowledge, reflect on, and celebrate.
We want to stimulate debate. And we want to provide arts communities throughout the country with information they can use to advocate for the value of the arts.
Research summary 2020
The research summary document, produced by Creative New Zealand, brings together and summarises the numerous reports created by Colmar Brunton and contains:
- key insights from the adult and young New Zealanders surveys
- overview of attendance, participation and attitudes
- community perspectives on the arts:
- Māori
- Pasifika
- Asian New Zealanders
- New Zealanders with lived experience of disability
- across the regions
- more about the research.
Research Summary 2020 (pdf 9MB) [58 pages]
Easy Read Research Summary 2020 (pdf 2.4MB) [31 pages]
The research summary has been translated into Easy Read by the Make It Easy services of People First New Zealand Inc. Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi.
Plain Text Research Summary 2020 (docx 110KB) [50 pages] or Plain text Research Summary 2020 (pdf 400KB)
The five key insights
The research summary holds up five key insights:
- New Zealanders are more positive than ever about the vital role the arts play in our lives.
- The arts are making a powerful contribution to New Zealanders’ wellbeing, and are helping us get through COVID-19.
- More New Zealanders appreciate the arts’ powerful role in connecting whānau and communities, but access to the arts could be improved.
- The arts are helping more of us explore and build our own sense of identity, as well as growing our connections with other New Zealanders.
- Attendance has declined but participation has held steady, and how we want to experience the arts is changing.
We plan to explore these insights further in the coming months.
Community perspectives and insights 2020
For the first time, we have dedicated reports exploring Māori, Pasifika and Asian New Zealanders’ relationship with the arts. A report on New Zealanders with lived experience of disability and their relationship with the arts has also been prepared, as well as the regional and city reports that premiered in 2017.
For each community you can access full reports from Colmar Brunton, as well as summaries produced by Creative New Zealand.
Pasifika perspectives (aged 15+)
Asian New Zealanders (aged 15+)
New Zealanders with lived experience of disability (aged 15+)
Full adult (aged 15+) report
Full adult report 2020 (pdf 1MB) [97 pages]
Read the full Colmar Brunton report on adult New Zealanders’ attitudes to, attendance at and participation in the arts in 2020.
Full young persons (aged 10-14) report
Full young persons report 2020 (pdf 100KB) [70 pages]
Read the full Colmar Brunton report on young New Zealanders’ attitudes to, attendance at and participation in the arts in 2020.
