When the Cultural Statistics Programme was established in 1993, the production of a report which brought together key indicators for the cultural sector was identified as a priority. Over its first decade, the programme, a joint initiative of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Statistics New Zealand, has focused on developing, collecting and making available statistics over a wide range of areas in the cultural sector.
This report establishes the indicators within a framework of five theme areas, which broadly reflect key goals for the New Zealand cultural sector and those involved in it. Not all the indicators have been able to be populated, due to lack of data in some areas. The report identifies areas where more information is needed. In the next few years, it is likely that data will be collected to populate some areas highlighted for further development, and new indicators may be introduced as priorities change. It is intended to update the existing indicators as new data becomes available (such as through the 2006 Census).
Cultural Indicators for New Zealand: 2006 is the result of a long period of development, and the hard work of Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Statistics NZ staff. The report is an important contribution to making information about the cultural sector more accessible to the public.
Page update 1 October 2013
Purpose
Decision making about the long-term development of the cultural sector benefi ts considerably from the availability of high-quality and regular statistical information about its performance, its size, and its contribution to the economic and social well-being of New Zealand. This is difficult to do because the cultural sector is diverse and fragmented, and in many cases the organisations within it cannot produce robust statistical data. In the past this has meant that the sector – which receives considerable public funding – has had incomplete information on its performance and on the outcomes of the government’s investment.
The work already undertaken through the Cultural Statistics Programme – a joint Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Statistics New Zealand initiative – has provided a range of useful data and has allowed the establishment of some benchmarks. There are still gaps, however, in our knowledge of the sector – including its economic and social contribution and the ability to track key trends over time. This type of data is vital in providing politicians and policymakers with sound information on which to base their policy decisions.
A number of government departments have developed or are in the process of developing indicators that cover social, economic or environmental outcomes. This report presents, for the first time, a set of cultural indicators. In addition to its benefits in terms of policy development, the establishment of a set of robust cultural indicators ensures that debates about the cultural sector’s value and contribution to New Zealand society can take place in the context of greater knowledge and understanding than at present. They also allow the ‘health’ of the sector to be monitored over time.
While the indicators presented in this report are high-level sectoral indicators, they are also intended to reflect the broad outcomes that the government seeks to achieve for the cultural sector as a whole.
The aims of this report are to:
● provide high level measures of the effectiveness of government policy interventions in the cultural sector
● enable linkages to be made with indicators in other sectors of the economy
● provide measures of the contribution of the cultural sector to the social, environmental and economic well-being of New Zealanders
● contribute significantly to the quality of information available to government and key decision makers, as well as to the sector itself
● provide a benchmark against which the ‘health’ and performance of the cultural sector can be monitored over time
● contribute to meaningful debate about the role, value and function of culture.