The deficit in arts and culture media in Aotearoa New Zealand: challenges and interventions

Media coverage of arts and culture is an important contributor to sustaining thriving creative sectors. Reductions in arts and culture coverage in legacy media and the loss of arts journalist roles are international trends. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the breadth and depth of arts media coverage have deteriorated significantly, resulting in a national deficit in arts and culture media. In 2023, the authors interviewed 52 people working in the arts and media sectors as part of an investigation into the weakened state of contemporary arts and cultural media and journalism in Aotearoa. This article revisits the interview data and updates the study to review the current status of New Zealand's arts and culture coverage and reevaluate our earlier recommendations promoting dedicated public funding for arts media and the creation of an Arts Media Centre service. Arts media should be valued as a public good, and we argue that policy interventions and financial investment are urgently required to rebuild capacity, capability, and audiences.