Creative New Zealand research this year shows artists are still earning considerably less than other wage earners.
$37,000 a year compared to a general median of $61,800.
For many artists this is called living in a ‘gig economy’ - and those gigs have been getting harder to come by. But there are efforts to turn this around.
Jeremy Mayall Photo: supplied
Overseas, the Republic of Ireland’s response to Covid recovery for artists has been a pilot universal basic income (UBI) scheme - providing 2000 Irish artists $NZ 595 a week for three years.
In the Waikato, Creative Waikato with Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture and Heritage have also been trialling a UBI: 10 artists are getting $500 for 20 hours work per week for a year, plus paid mentoring. The scheme, named Whiria te Tāngata, is described as a ‘multi-community artist in residency programme’.
Cat Ruka Photo: supplied
Arts agency Creative New Zealand recognised we have a problem back in 2019, developing a remuneration policy as a guide for what artists should be paid. It was announced this week that their recommended minimum rate of $25 per hour has been raised to $30.
But in a gig economy there’s often little to no allowance for sick leave, holidays, Kiwisaver contributions, nor the raft of expenses involved in running your own business.
Melissa Laing Photo: supplied
Joining Mark Amery of Culture 101 to discuss are Executive Director of Basement Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau Cat Ruka, composer and CEO of Creative Waikato Dr Jeremy Mayall and artist, writer and broker Melissa Laing.
Laing has written critically about Creative New Zealand's remuneration policy. She is currently researching sustainable community asset ownership for arts groups.
Ruka was a member of the advisory group to CNZ on their remuneration policy and last year co-founded the arts activist group DAMN (Dignity and Money Now).
Mayall has been driving Creative Waikato’s Whiria te Tāngata scheme.
