About Arts Access Aotearoa

Arts Access Aotearoa | Putanga Toi ki Aotearoa’s purpose is to increase access to the arts for people who experience barriers to participation as artists, performers, audience members, and gallery and museum visitors. It does this by working in the disability, mental health and Deaf communities, and through a network of community arts organisations called creative spaces.

It also facilitates a Deaf and disabled artists’ initiative, supporting the artists to create work and develop their creative practice.

In addition, it works with the professional arts sector to help them improve their access to Deaf and disabled artists and audiences.

Arts Access Aotearoa advises the Department of Corrections on its arts programmes and activities, and advocates for the arts as a tool to support the rehabilitative process of prisoners and their reintegration back into the community on release.

It also provides a national advisory and advocacy service about access to the arts. This includes providing information, resources and research through its Information Centre. 

Read about Arts Access Aotearoa's areas of work and what we do

Read about Arts Access Aotearoa in 2023

Vision

All people in Aotearoa can access and participate in the arts.

Purpose

Arts Access Aotearoa works in partnership to increase access to the arts for people in Aotearoa who experience barriers to participation.

Organisational tikanga | Enduring values

• Mōhiotanga - seeking understanding and awareness
• Rangatiratanga – respecting the mana of others
• Whanaungatanga – appreciating the value of relationships and partnerships
• Kotahitanga – working in harmony to achieve common purpose and shared vision
• Kaitiakitanga – service to others and nurturing leadership within others.

Tiriti statement

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. It defines the relationship between tangata whenua and the Crown, and provides a basis for all citizens to live and belong here. 

At its core, Te Tiriti o Waitangi is about social justice, making it particularly relevant to the work of Arts Access Aotearoa. Te Tiriti provides a platform for recognising Māori needs and aspirations, ensuring Māori can enjoy equitable opportunities and participate actively, both as citizens and within the organisations they belong to. 

1. We acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa and will give effect to Te Tiriti in our constitution, policies and practices.   
2. We recognise the status of Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa and will ensure that our organisational culture and work environment reflects Māori interests, aspirations and values.   
3. We are committed to upholding the articles and principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We work to uphold te tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake o tangata Māori, and we stand against all forms of oppression.

At Arts Access Aotearoa, we:

• honour our story and honour the storyteller 
• work to remove barriers to self-expression 
• lead from the front: we do and not just say 
• honour all people, which is at the heart of our kaupapa. 

Equity statement

Arts Access Aotearoa's Equity Statement is also available in Easy Read and in NZSL.

Read our Equity statement. 

Strategic goals 

These are:

• Increased access to the the arts.
• A sustainable and effective creative spaces sector.
• A sustainably funded Arts in Corrections framework, adopted by and integrated into Corrections' rehabilitation services.
• A continuous supply of arts programmes accessible to those in the care of Ara Poutama Aotearoa.
• A sustainably funded programme of arts initiatives in youth justice residences.