Wellington’s Creative Capital identity is not accidental — the arts are the heart of who we are.

It is an identity built over time through the work of artists and arts organisations, sustained public investment, and the everyday cultural life of the city. This ecosystem is now under pressure from proposed budget changes.

We call on Wellington City Council to reconsider the proposed reductions to the Creative Capital budget and ensure arts and cultural funding is treated fairly within the broader Council budget process.

It is our understanding that the arts and cultural budget is expected to face cuts of around 5%, compared with approximately 1% across other Council departments and programmes. This disparity raises serious concerns about fairness and the strategic value placed on arts and culture within Wellington’s long-term priorities.

These reductions would also undermine Council’s ability to deliver on the Aho Tini 2030: Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy, the city’s long-term framework for arts, culture, and creativity, developed through extensive sector consultation and investment. Weakening its delivery risks eroding both the strategy itself and the partnership that underpins it.

Arts investment is essential civic infrastructure. It supports a strong creative economy, sustains jobs and creative careers, strengthens community wellbeing and connection, and underpins Wellington’s cultural identity and public life. Cuts of this scale will be felt most acutely by independent practitioners and small organisations who are already operating under significant pressure.

We recognise that Council faces significant financial constraints and must make difficult decisions across essential infrastructure needs. However, a thriving city also depends on sustained investment in arts and culture alongside other core priorities.

We urge Wellington City Council to:

1. Review the proposed disparity in arts and cultural funding

2. Ensure equitable treatment of arts and culture across budget decisions

3. Protect the integrity and delivery of the Aho Tini 2030 strategy

We ask Council to stand by Wellington’s identity as a Creative Capital and ensure arts and culture are treated with fairness, consistency, and strategic care in all future investment decisions.

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