A survey shows an upswing in the number of New Zealanders attending Pacific arts events.
Cook Island dancers at Pasifika Festival 2018 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Sela Jane Hopgood
New Zealanders' attendance at Pacific arts events has reached an all-time high, according to the results of a national arts engagement survey, released this week by Creative New Zealand.
The New Zealanders and the Arts 2017 survey shows a record 18 percent of New Zealanders attended at least one Pacific arts event in the previous 12 months
That's up four percent from the results of the 2014 survey.
And the new survey showed Pacific arts events were reaching an ethnically diverse audience.
Just over half of this audience is made up of Pacific peoples (52 percent), with Māori comprising 40 percent, Asian New Zealanders 18 percent and New Zealand Europeans 14 percent.
The youth element is also strong.
The survey showed 52 percent of young New Zealanders, aged 10-14 years, participated in the Pacific arts in the previous 12 months. It has grown steadily from 2008 when participation was 42 percent.
This growth hats been driven by increases in young people's involvement in Pacific singing, dancing and music with four in ten (44 percent) taking part.
According to the survey, young people who identify as Pacific are also more likely than the national average to want to increase their involvement in Pacific arts.
"There is an appetite amongst young people for greater participation which could lead on to increased levels of participation in adult life," Creative NZ Arts Council deputy chair Caren Rangi said.
At 79 percent, Pacific peoples' arts engagement, which is a measure of both attendance and participation, was in line with the record 80 percent arts engagement of all New Zealanders.
Three in 10 Pacific peoples (29 percent) participated in Pacific arts but other ethnicities were also taking part in Pacific arts, including 22 percent of Māori, 9 percent of Asian New Zealanders and 5 percent of New Zealand Europeans, according to the survey results.
"It's great to see not only are more New Zealanders taking opportunities to experience the rich cultural diversity Pacific arts bring to this country but also that Pacific peoples are so highly engaged in a wide range of art forms," Ms Rangi said.
