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Aotearoa’s home of creative opportunities, jobs, news,
events and inspiration.

  • Feature

    Summer Reads: Auē

    Don't let going back to work stop you holding onto the joys of summer. Dina Jezdic tells us why you need to read Becky Manawatu's incredible debut novel.
  • Advice to My 22-Year-Old Self

    Don't be a Dick, Just Be Yourself

    Nomi Cohen's been there - the disappointment and frustration. Now she's sharing her wisdom of how to work through it and find your creative happiness and satisfaction.
  • Guides

    Summer Learning Guide 2020/21

    Your hook up for the most creative, inspiring, interactive and fun workshops and courses to feed your artistic side this summer.
  • Guides

    Creativity Reigns in the Bay

    Innovative funding opportunities, bold visions for the regions and a plethora of artistic opportunities - Find out why the Bay of Plenty is a hive of creative activity.

Featured Jobs

opportunity
Touch Compass Dance Company
General Manager
You will have the satisfaction of knowing your work has a real impact on people’s lives, you are committed to the future of performance in Aotearoa and the power of the Arts to challenge and connect.
Region:
Auckland
Closes:
25 Jan 2021
opportunity
The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora
Arts Four Creative Residency Programme 2021
Your chance to be an Arts Centre creative resident.
Region:
Canterbury
Closes:
17 Jan 2021

Make a big difference to The Big Idea.

Help us tell the most creative stories.

Become a supporter

Stories

  • Advice to My 22-Year-Old Self

    Don't be a Dick, Just Be Yourself

    Nomi Cohen's been there - the disappointment and frustration. Now she's sharing her wisdom of how to work through it and find your creative happiness and satisfaction.
  • Feature

    Summer Reads: Victory Park

    Looking for something to keep your brain ticking over in the idle summer time? Find out why this Rachel Kerr offering is worth your while.
  • Feature

    NZ Artists End the Year with Major Honours

    The Queen has handed out the last honours of 2020 - see who from the New Zealand Creative Community make the list.
  • Feature

    Non-COVID Buzzwords for the Arts in 2020

    Our language tells us a lot about who we are, so what did 2020 say, outside the trending COVID-slang?
  • Summer Revival

    Fight Against Systemic Racism Not Over

    Best of 2020: One of Aotearoa's leading Māori theatre-makers has been making the most of new opportunities but states a long awaited shift in mindset isn't happening in the right way.
  • Summer Revival

    Aotearoa's Art Angels

    Best of 2020: So many grassroot NZ creatives went the extra mile when the nation was in need of a morale boost during the pandemic's darkest days - it's time to celebrate them.
  • Graham Tipene
    Summer Revival

    Ink, iron and everything in between: Graham Tipene’s wide influence

    Best of 2020: Precision and permanence, as well as a dedication to his craft and culture, have made Graham Tipene one of Auckland’s most influential artists.
  • Feature

    Radio Silence: Success without Mainstream Airplay

    Mako Road might just be the biggest band in NZ not on your radio. From sell-out tours to global streaming attention, they're in no hurry for that to change.
  • Feature

    Arts Voices: What Has 2020 Taught Us?

    No one will leave 2020 the same as they entered it. We speak to some leading figures and contributors to The Big Idea this year about what's been learned.
  • Feature

    How to Find Your New Favourite NZ Act This Summer

    Music festival season is upon us - we've got your must-read guide on who to look out for and how to embrace the new generation of Aotearoa sounds.
  • Feature

    NZ's Most Influential Arts Muse?

    How does one household pet inspire so much creativity? We break down the Mittens effect on art, music and mental health.
  • Feature

    Growing Demand for Diversity in Screen Production

    It’s an industry on the rise, but so too is a desire for different voices to tell the stories.
  • The Lowdown

    Lowdown on 2020

    What. A. Year. Mark Amery breaks down the arts in 2020 as it happened, headline by headline, with the Lowdown.
  • Feature

    Savage Inspiration

    It's been a big year for Tusiata Avia. The Arts Laureate's 2020 offering is one that needs your attention, according to one of her poetry peers.
  • Who Got The Gig?

    The Big Gig

    Tim Walker's influenced virtually every corner of Aotearoa's arts and culture sectors. He explains how his new role can help create a more connected creative ecosystem.
  • Feature

    $12 Million Cultural Fund launches

    The long-awaited big funds promised in the budget are finally here. We break down how Manatū Taonga's new Capability Fund works, who can apply, and get immediate reaction.
  • Feature

    Coast of Creativity

    Big city study isn’t for everyone. We track down a Hawke’s Bay creative institution that gives their students the best of both worlds.
  • The Lowdown

    Endings, Beginnings and Nudity

    Epic exhibitions with generational impact, captivating visual performance, unwavering controversies and the ushering of new eras - your arts news bulletin keeps you on the pulse.
  • Soapbox

    Plenty of Creative Opportunity in the Bay

    In a year that’s challenged all in the arts community, Creative Bay of Plenty GM Eric Holowacz outlines a regional vision of the way forward.
  • Feature

    Starting Your Big Screen Career

    One up-and-coming filmmaker explains how he got his short into the New Zealand International Film Festival - and how you can have the same ‘executive producer’.
  • Feature

    How to Get a Slice of Summer Arts Funding

    Bay of Plenty’s easily accessible new arts grants are encouraging NZ’s creatives to take their concepts on the road with them this holiday season.
  • Feature

    How NZ Kept Cameras Rolling

    As the end of 2020 appears tantalisingly within sight, we take a closer look at how NZ has lead the global film industry by example.
  • Feature

    Creativity with a Cause

    From the middle of the ocean to the Middle East, Jono Smit's creative skills are helping break down barriers and change perceptions.
  • Arts Smarts

    How Can I Be Creative When I'm So Burnt Out?

    Let's be real, this year can f*** off. A much needed advice column on how to take that broken heart and make some art.
  • Feature

    Change is the Key to Survival

    One of the leading creatives of his generation, Sir Derek Lardelli has some powerful advice for the next generation to keep Māori art thriving.
  • The Lowdown

    Artists Infiltrate Parliament

    The Beehive's artistic influx, a major contemporary art space under threat and positive signs in the regions and in print media. Mark Amery has this week’s arts news Lowdown.

Jobs

opportunity
Touch Compass Dance Company
General Manager
You will have the satisfaction of knowing your work has a real impact on people’s lives, you are committed to the future of performance in Aotearoa and the power of the Arts to challenge and connect.
Region:
Auckland
Closes:
25 Jan 2021
opportunity
The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora
Arts Four Creative Residency Programme 2021
Your chance to be an Arts Centre creative resident.
Region:
Canterbury
Closes:
17 Jan 2021
Opportunity / Tim Bray Theatre Company

School Engagement Coordinator

Opportunity / Museum of Old and New Art

Festival Operations Manager

Opportunity / Albury City Council

Engagement Manager

Opportunity / Museum of Old and New Art

Project Manager

Opportunity / Objectspace

Objectspace Courtyard Plinth Commission

Opportunity / Otago Art Society

Entries open for The Cleveland National Art Awards

Opportunity / Parramatta Artists' Studios

Curator and Artist Development

Opportunity / Northern Centre for Contemporary Art

Director

View all jobs

Events

Night of the Queer
02/04/2021 to 02/13/2021

Night of the Queer

Featuring dazzling dance, extraordinary aerial artistry, sassy song, bold burlesque, divine drag and a huge dose of comedy, this sublime queer cabaret appeals to all colours of the rainbow.
02/10/2021 to 02/20/2021

‘Not As Simple As It Sounds’

6 days long durational performance, installation and workshop
Fringe text surrounded by floating cutouts including an eye, leg and mask on a swirled, pink background.
02/26/2021 to 03/20/2021

New Zealand Fringe Festival 2021

New Zealand Fringe Festival, NZ’s largest open access arts festival of unbridled creativity and culture returns for another year.
View all Events

Community Announcements

Community Announcement

Judge announced for Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award

Renowned New Zealand sculptor Virginia King will judge the 2021 Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award, with entries set to open on 15 January.
Zak Devey during a creative writing course
Community Announcement

Empowering rangatahi on remand through creative writing

“The focus of the two booklets is about giving participants ownership over their stories, and encouraging them to reflect on their journeys and feel empowered.”
blackmail press 44 - release date late January 2021
Community Announcement

Change of release date blackmail press issue 44 to January 2021

Change of release date blackmail press issue 44 to January 2021
Community Announcement

Performance poetry returns to Tauranga this summer

Author and poet Michael Botur is bringing his performance poetry show ‘Loudmouth’ to two Tauranga venues, and Botur will also deliver two fiction writing workshops.
Community Announcement

Dr. Sean Coyle joins Toi Whakaari Staff 2021

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School announces Dr. Sean Coyle as the Head of Department of Design and Performing Arts Management.
Gabrielle Vincent
Community Announcement

New Artistic Director for Festival

Tauranga Arts Festival appoints its first Artistic Director
View all Community announcements

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Top Reads
  1. NZ's Most Influential Arts Muse?
  2. Arts Voices: What Has 2020 Taught Us?
  3. $12 Million Cultural Fund launches
  4. Lowdown on 2020
  5. Don't Give Up your Day Job: Joel Shadbolt
  6. How to Find Your New Favourite NZ Act This Summer
  7. The Big Gig
  8. Don't be a Dick, Just Be Yourself
  9. Dealing with yourself
  10. NZ Artists End the Year with Major Honours
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      • COVID-19
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        • Viral Art: Expression in Isolation
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        • Breaking Budget Bid
        • Lockdown Liberation for the Arts
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        • What Level Two Means to You (and the News isn't Getting Better)
        • What New Level Three Lockdown Means for the Arts
        • Where Shall we Site the Colonial Graveyard?
        • ‘Central Government Has Failed Us’
      • Arts Smarts
        • When Planning is Hard, Plan We Must
        • 9 Tips for Selling Your Art Online
        • A Creative's Guide to Ditching FOMO and Social Media Comparison
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        • Philip Clarke: Crafty Customer
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        • The Marvellous Ms Morrison
      • Feature
        • Gibney's Role Revival
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        • How to Unleash Your Creativity
        • How to make working remotely work for you (From the Archives)
        • Learning From the Masters
        • The Art that Helped Mend NZ’s Broken Heart
        • Word on the Street: The Home Edition
        • How to Help a Kiwi Creative Win $15K
        • Arts Voices: Election Up in the Air, Issues Crystal Clear
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        • Monastra Goes Full Circle
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      • Advice to My 22 Year Old Self
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      • How a Wandering Cat became a Work of Art
    • Jobs
      • All work
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      • Awards, Grants & Residencies
      • Call for Entries
      • + List a job
    • Events
      • All events
      • Workshops / Seminars
      • + List an event
    • Mentoring
    • Advertise
    • Guides
      • Upskill, Learn, Reinvent.
      • Christmas Gift Guide
      • Creativity in the Bay
      • Professional Services Directory 2020
      • Summer Learning Guide
      • The Lowdown Directory 2020
      • UpSmarts - Spring 2020

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