Arts Wellington amplifies the voices of the Arts in the Wellington region.

The Wellington Regional Art & Cultural Development Trust (Toi o Taraika Arts Wellington) is a charitable trust that provides networking opportunities, communication platforms, advocacy and capability building forums for our membership base. Our members are made up of most of the Greater Wellington region’s professional arts, culture and heritage organisations, arts service organisations and education institutions.

Our Purpose

  • Amplify Your Voice

    Have your say on issues that affect the arts sector in Wellington. Arts Wellington works to make sure that central and local government elected members and officials (and other people in positions of power and influence) understand and act to create positive outcomes for the arts sector, artists and citizens of the Wellington region. 

  • Be Informed

    Keep in the loop on issues that affect you and the arts sector including funding, policy, employment, venues, opportunities, accessibility, inclusivity and more.

  • Stay Connected

    Our members are made up of individual artists and arts workers, independent and regularly-funded organisations, local, regional and national institutions. We also have membership from major funding bodies who use Arts Wellington to stay connected to the sector directly.  It’s a great way to meet people in the sector who you may not normally come across.

  • Be Supported

    Arts Wellington is there for you when you don’t know where to turn about issues relating to your arts career or organisation. We have an experienced and connected Board who are here in service of the sector and provide a listening ear or give advice when you are stuck.

Our Services

  • Sector Hui

    Across the year Toi o Taraika Arts Wellington organises hui on sector-relevant topics and talks with key industry figures.

    Forums focus on relevant themes such as environmental sustainability in the arts, audience development and accessibility. We also activate community-led hui to coalesce when facing immediate crises, such as the local arts sector response to Covid-19, or urgent sector consultancy on policy and strategy. Previous forum have featured celebrated artists, elected local officials and Ministers as our invited speakers.

    Our hui are open to both members and to non-members.

  • Meet the Councillors

    Toi o Taraika Arts Wellington hosts a “Meet the Councillors” event in the lead up to Wellington’s local elections. We seek to provide a meaningful forum for discussion between candidates and the community.

    The Wellington creative sector contributed to the aims and direction of the Aho Tini: 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy in 2021, and this event is a salient opportunity to continue that connectivity by engaging with current and prospective Wellington City Councillors about their understanding of the strengths and challenges facing the sector.

  • Advocating for the Arts in Wellington

    We provide a collective voice for the arts in Wellington through advocacy, capability-building, and providing opportunities for networking and connection. Our broader aim is to foster a robust, healthy, and thriving arts community for the benefit of the region and Aotearoa as a whole.

    We advocate for the experiences and perspectives of the Wellington arts sector in the development of local and national arts policy, strategy and community development consultations.

  • National RANA Representative

    We represent Wellington in the Regional Arts Network Aotearoa, the body of regional organisations that provide strategic direction and support for sustainable arts, culture & heritage development.

    RANA members collaborate on the development of a stronger regional arts, culture, and creative sector to support community wellbeing and resilience.