HighlightsNew Zealand’s arts and creative sector contributes $14.9 billion to New Zealand’s GDP, or 4.2% of the total economy.The arts and creative sector grew by 10% in the year to March 2022. This was almost double the growth of the total economy during the same period (5.3%).There are more than 115,000 people whose primary employment is in the arts and creative sector. This was a 3.8% increase from March 2021 to March 2022.There are almost 36,000 businesses in the sector.Over 10,000 Māori hold primary employment in the Arts and Creative Sector.32% of people with primary jobs in the Arts and Creative Sector are self-employed – twice that of the total economy (16.2%).Almost half (44.3%) of people working in the Arts and Creative Sector work in Auckland.About the profilesSince 2020, Manatū Taonga has measured the economic characteristics of the arts and creative sector using custom profiles of business and employment data supplied by Infometrics Ltd. These profiles more closely represent the sector than the standard StatsNZ Arts and Recreation profile.The profiles use government employment and business data using standard occupation (ANZSCO) and industry (ANZSIC) codes. Official employment data sources are typically divided by either industry or occupation but by themselves do not accurately represent the arts and creative sector. Manatū Taonga has used a combination of industries and occupations to define the sector.In early 2023, Manatū Taonga revised how the profiles are defined, including creating a new standalone Arts profile to better reflect the jobs and industries being measured. Changes were also made to how Infometrics models Māori employment, leading the Māori sub-profile to be updated.Summary of key dataGDP contribution and growthIn the year to March 2022, the sector overall experienced strong GDP growth of 10.0% over the prior year—almost twice that of the total economy (5.3%)—to $14.91 billion or almost 4.2% of the total economy. This is the highest recorded GDP contribution for the sector to date. The table below notes changes the sector’s GDP contribution over time.Arts and creative sector GDP changeYearAnnual GDP (billions)% Change from previous year% of total NZ GDP2000$6.54 bn 3.32%2010$9.53 bn-1.0%3.72%2020$13.55 bn4.6%3.97%2021$13.56 bn0.1%3.99%2022$14.91 bn10.0%4.17%Note. GDP is retrospectively adjusted for inflation.EmploymentEmployment growthPrimary employment in the Arts and Creative sector grew by 3.8% in the year to March 2022, compared to national job growth of 3%. In March 2022, 115,114 people held primary employment in the Arts and Creative Sector.Workforce diversityMāori, Pacific peoples and Asian New Zealanders are under-represented in the Arts and Creative Sector workforce, although there has been some improvement since 2013. European New Zealanders are significantly over-represented, as shown in the table below.Ethnic composition of the arts and creative sector workforce in New Zealand Arts and CreativeTotal economyEthnicityEmployment% of total% of total 201320182013201820132018European81,22285,45383.00%78.50%77.20%71.40%Māori8,70111,2788.90%10.40%11.10%13.50%Pasifika3,6455,1613.70%4.70%4.90%6.50%Asian8,68013,8468.90%12.70%11.00%15.10%MELAA*9241,7220.90%1.60%1.00%1.40%Other1,8751,4451.90%1.30%2.00%1.40%Not Elsewhere Included35400.40%0.00%0.40%0.00%*MELAA - Middle Eastern, Latin American & African.Self-employmentIn 2022, the self-employment rate in the Arts and Creative sector was 32%, twice as high as that of the total economy (16.2%). For the Arts sector, the self-employment rate in 2022 was even higher, at 42%.Regional employmentAlmost half of people (44%) who work in the Arts and Creative Sector work in Auckland, as shown in the table below.Regional employment of the arts and creative sectorRegionEmployment% of NZNorthland Region2,6952.30%Auckland50,97144.30%Waikato Region6,9746.10%Bay of Plenty Region5,2514.60%Gisborne Region6870.60%Hawke's Bay Region2,5102.20%Taranaki Region1,7781.50%Manawatu-Whanganui Region3,6823.20%Wellington Region17,65115.30%Tasman Region8600.70%Nelson Region1,2221.10%Marlborough Region8190.70%West Coast Region5110.40%Canterbury Region12,42910.80%Otago Region5,8215.10%Southland Region1,2561.10%New Zealand115,114100%For more information, please contact our Research & Evaluation team at [email protected].