Auckland as a Creative City
Auckland needs an overarching strategy to unlock the potential of its cultural and creative sectors to grow the economy and contribute towards a more globally competitive city. This is a recommendation in the Committee for Auckland's latest research report, Auckland as a Creative City, launched December 11, 2014.
The report follows on from the Committee’s 2012 business case proposal Unleashing the Creative Economy which suggested that an effective, forward-thinking strategy is vital for Auckland’s success. It advances the case by offering five key recommendations to maximise value from the cultural and creative industries.
An overarching strategy should be developed in consultation with Auckland’s cultural and creative communities, to support the development of Auckland as a creative city so we can harness value and compete with other global cities for investment, talent and tourism.
ACSAP Part 2
The ultimate outcome is ‘Auckland as a Creative City’ within the context of the strategic direction set by the Auckland Plan and the Arts and Culture Strategic Plan (ACSAP) Part 1 “to integrate arts and culture into our everyday lives”. While the Committee agrees with ACSAP’s strategic direction, it believes the continued development of ACSAP presents an opportunity be more ambitious about growth and development of Auckland’s creative and cultural industries. What is needed is a significant widening of scope for the second phase of ACSAP, to harness the collective strengths of the creative and cultural sector into an overarching plan for delivery.
An assessment of current investment and funding sources would tell us if funding models are as effective as they could be, or whether alignment is needed to reflect the mutual importance of all creative activities.
Many Benefits
Reasons for investing in the creative sector are numerous. They include regenerating neglected urban space, celebrating a vibrant and diverse cultural scene, promoting economic development, improving sustainability, increasing tourist numbers, promoting participation in the arts, promoting social cohesion, developing small businesses and attracting skilled migrants.
Social benefits include establishing a sense of identity for the city, helping integrate newcomers and all citizens in city life, encouraging civic engagement and enhancing the quality of life.
Need to Measure
The key learning from this report is that Auckland must focus on what it wants to achieve and get the metrics in place to measure progress. The report recommends a mapping exercise to establish a comprehensive understanding of the scope of Auckland’s creative activity, current investment and funding sources to support and align activity.
Other Examples
By looking at seven large international creative cities, the research revealed some proven initiatives Auckland could share and examples of how to implement them.
To implement a strategy for Auckland as a Creative City, the report recommends establishing an advisory board to advise Auckland Council and its relevant Council Controlled Organisations, to ensure their plans and priorities are well-integrated.
Next Steps
As the first step in our strategy of obtaining buy-in from stakeholders, the Committee is presenting to both local and central government to discuss how to move the recommendations forward.
Since the launch, we continue to progress the debate around developing Auckland as a creative city with regular opinion pieces in the media.
Launch Event and Report
The Auckland as a Creative City report was launched at a breakfast function on Thursday 11 December at the Auckland Museum.
