Kiwis play their part in the arts, survey says

Musicals such as 'Dirty Dancing' are among the events considered art in the survey.

Nine out of 10 New Zealanders are involved in the arts either as participants or spectators and 76 per cent of us think the arts help define our national identity, a new study says.

The $110,000 Creative New Zealand survey, called New Zealanders and the Arts, quizzed 1400 people over the age of 15. More than 80 per cent had attended at least one arts event in the last year - but just one-third attended arts events at least once a month. The most significant increase in attendance had been at Maori arts events.

The survey also found that half of those surveyed participated in the arts in roles as varied as artist or performer, crew, teacher, organiser, director and student.

Asked about their attitudes, 74 per cent said they believed the arts contributed positively to the economy. A total of 76 per cent believed the arts helped define New Zealand identity, and 77 per cent believed the arts should receive public funding.

The total figure of 90 per cent came from combining both participation and attendance figures, said Elizabeth Kerr, Creative New Zealand's chief executive.

The arts were defined as visual arts, performing arts and film-making (festival films counted in attendance figures but not mainstream movies), literary pursuits such as creative writing and book events (but not reading), and Maori and Pacific arts and crafts.

Passive activities were excluded, said Ms Kerr, to provide a clear view of "active participants".

The survey provided "benchmark data".

For example, it asked people who had little to do with the arts why their contact was low, and this information would be fed into arts promotion programmes.

Novelist Stephanie Johnson, co-founder of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, was surprised at the survey's claim that income had no influence on arts participation.

"It still costs a lot of money to go to the theatre or to dance," she said.

For example, a seat at Dirty Dancing at Auckland's Civic Theatre tonight would cost between $65 and $90.

Arts commentator Hamish Keith said the findings were not new - they repeated what previous surveys had found.

Kiwi society was literate, he said, and the arts another form of literacy.

However, it was "always reassuring" to be reminded of the sector's strength, because it contributed to the economy.


What is art?

People surveyed said:
Painting, drawing, visual arts: 54 per cent
Music, singing, orchestras, concerts, opera: 48 per cent
Ballet, dancing: 27 per cent
Theatre, theatre arts, displays: 26 per cent
Performance, performance arts, stage shows, live shows, performances: 19 per cent
Carvings, sculpture, sculptors: 17 per cent
Artwork, artists, art exhibitions: 16 per cent
Drama, acting, comedy: 15 per cent
Things people make, anything creative, inventions, ingenuity: 14 per cent
Galleries, exhibits: 11 per cent
* Source: New Zealanders and the Arts: Attitudes, attendance and participation in 2005