I’ve been to Aotearoa New Zealand only twice before – once on a brief stop in Auckland on the way to Tahiti in 2014 and then on a longer trip around the North Island at the end of 2016. On the first trip my fellow traveller was in New Zealand because she wanted to visit Tahiti, whereas I was in Tahiti because I wanted to visit New Zealand. On the second visit in 2016, we had planned to continue on to the South Island – till it became clear this would be biting off more than we could chew. A driving journey on two islands was one island too many. Then, almost seven years later, including three years of global pandemic, ducking and weaving to avoid the virus, our 2016 trip was finally about to resume. New Zealand is close to Australia but for the last few years it has been far away. At times during our visit I had to stop and remind myself that we were really there.
From my experience as far as Aotearoa New Zealand is concerned, it seems Australians fall into two groups – those who have been there and want to go back and those who would like to go there. I’ve long had a sense of the significance of New Zealand for our region and our own country. New Zealand is much more connected to the Pacific than Australia. The fact the North island has been described as the largest Polynesian island in the Pacific is possibly part of the reason. It’s only an accident of history that the two islands that make up New Zealand are one country – conceivably they could just as easily have been two. How different that could have been.
From my experience as far as Aotearoa New Zealand is concerned, it seems Australians fall into two groups – those who have been there and want to go back and those who would like to go there. I’ve long had a sense of the significance of New Zealand for our region and our own country. New Zealand is much more connected to the Pacific than Australia. The fact the North island has been described as the largest Polynesian island in the Pacific is possibly part of the reason. It’s only an accident of history that the two islands that make up New Zealand are one country – conceivably they could just as easily have been two. How different that could have been.
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| Art wall in Britomart, the old transformed dockland area of Auckland. |
I’ve said before that Australians used to joke that going to New Zealand
was like travelling back to the 1950s. That might be true in some
respects, but in other ways it’s like travelling to a country Australia
might want to become sometime in the future.
‘I’ve long had a sense of the significance of New Zealand for our region and our own country. New Zealand is much more connected to the Pacific than Australia. The fact the North island has been described as the largest Polynesian island in the Pacific is possibly part of the reason.’
Everything in two languages
In many respects New Zealand seems much more advanced than Australia in building sustainable futures, in other respects less so. We saw ads on television for electric cars, something we had never seen in Australia and the hotel where we stayed in Auckland was a fully green building. I can’t help but think that the influence of the Māori and their approach to the environment is a big part of this.
The Māori presence is everywhere and everything is bilingual. For someone who spent many years in the Australian Government working with communities which were actively maintaining and reviving their languages, this was fascinating. The Aboriginal languages activists were very aware of what had been happening in New Zealand and had good connections there. During the trip when I mentioned how struck I was by how bilingual everything around me was, one of the Aboriginal languages pioneers I know responded that he could only dream of a bilingual Australia.
Deep and long across the ditch
The cultural interconnection with New Zealand is both deep and long. At one stage in the earliest days of Australia’s formation as a single nation, New Zealand looked likely to join the newly- formed Federation but this fell through – I’m not sure which country lost more from the failure to proceed. More recently Canberra and Wellington were moving to tie the knot to become sister cities and began to strengthen a network of connections between the two national capitals in 2016. That was when I landed in Wellington just as a series of cultural exchanges were about to commence, which I was meant to attend as part of my involvement with Craft ACT and DESIGN Canberra.
‘Australians used to joke that going to New Zealand was like travelling back to the 1950s. That might be true in some respects, but in other ways it’s like travelling to a country Australia might want to become sometime in the future.’
In true New Zealand form those careful plans were disturbed when an earthquake struck the city just before I arrived. There was major damage to many public building in the centre of Wellington and the interislander ferries were temporarily suspended when the wharf where they docked was thrown out of alignment. The repairs to these public buildings were still underway when we visited this time – over six years later. Luckily the ferries were running.
This connection hadn’t been happening only at a government to government and city to city level. From my involvement for many years with Indigenous languages organisations and events such as the influential Puliima Conference, I was already familiar with the gains from a productive relationship between Australian and New Zealand community groups.
Design – the everyday language of our time
One important aspect of the increasing links between Canberra and Wellington is the many implications for long-running event DESIGN Canberra. It is no surprise that New Zealand, chose design as one of the cross-cutting, unifying themes for its national industry development strategy nearly 20 years ago. Speaking about this strategy in 2005, Dame Cheryll Sotheran, noted for her role as founding Chief Executive of the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, outlined the strategy to Australian colleagues in the arts and culture sector.
She was a keynote speaker at the national OZeCulture Conference, a series of five annual gatherings organised by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts from 2001 to 2005. The conferences brought together arts and cultural organisations and artists using the web, along with Information and Communications Technology specialists, to advance understanding and use of the digital and online environment.
‘It is no accident that her career spanned cultural institutions, creative industries and innovation with a focus on cultural diversity. The connection between all these are strong. The creative industries and design strategy played a major role in positioning New Zealand as a world leader in the sector.’
At the time of the 2005 OZeCulture Conference, Cheryll Sotheran was Sector Director, Creative Industries, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. In this role she was responsible for the strategic development of the creative industries in New Zealand’s economic development agency and for strategic leadership of creativity and innovation across all sectors in the New Zealand economy. This involved leadership in strategic development, sector and business development, and development of export and international networks and markets. She had been instrumental in developing creative industries in New Zealand and at the conference talked about transforming the economy through creative enterprise.
From the end of the earth to the middle of nowhere
It is no accident that her career spanned cultural institutions, creative industries and innovation with a focus on cultural diversity. The connection between all these are strong. The creative industries and design strategy played a major role in positioning New Zealand as a world leader in the sector. As part of a strategy to utilise the strengths of their local film sector, New Zealand also built a critical mass of screen production expertise, through large scale projects, such as ‘Lord of the Rings’.
In doing so it showed that smaller cities, remote from the traditional centres of film industry dominance, could establish a major, high profile niche in the global industry. In the contemporary globalised world, as long as countries and cities can survive the inevitable negative impact, expertise, specialist skills and industry pockets can occur just about anywhere, as long as you have connectivity, talent and a framework of support that makes it possible. The example of Marimekko in Finland is just one of many other examples.
New Zealanders long ago recognised that the creative industries and design were the way of the future. Shrink wrap that with stunning physical attributes and a reputation for clean and pristine and you have a winning streak with a lot of momentum. Many of these characteristics are shared by Canberra and much could potentially be made of it by Australia as well. While I was in Dunedin I had to personally embrace New Zealand design by buying a Blunt Metro umbrella, an innovative Kiwi design that I have already had numerous occasions to use.
Sailing around your own country
When we booked the cruise I thought ‘why would I want to sail around the coast of my own country?’, then I thought ‘why wouldn’t I?’ Sailing down the East Coast of Australia was fascinating – especially by sheer coincidence on Australia Day (well, at least the most recent of the many dates called ‘Australia Day’ over the years). I’d only sailed this route once before – as a child travelling from Sydney to Hobart on the Empress of Australia.
Sailing around your own country
When we booked the cruise I thought ‘why would I want to sail around the coast of my own country?’, then I thought ‘why wouldn’t I?’ Sailing down the East Coast of Australia was fascinating – especially by sheer coincidence on Australia Day (well, at least the most recent of the many dates called ‘Australia Day’ over the years). I’d only sailed this route once before – as a child travelling from Sydney to Hobart on the Empress of Australia.
‘Finally, after a day of fog and moderate swells, we emerged to find the coast of New Zealand towering before us as we passed between the South Island and Stewart Island further South and Antarctica beyond that. We were finally overseas close to the bottom of the world.’
You can’t see a lot because you are so far to sea – other ships and the tip of islands – but this must be exactly the coast Captain Cook would have seen when he reached Australia, the ‘fatal shore’. We’re so familiar with Australia that it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for those 18th Century mariners reaching the coast of a vast continent that, until then, they had only suspected existed because of fleeting earlier arrivals. For them it must have been like landing on Mars. For the original inhabitants it must have been like seeing alien spaceships appear in the skies.
Having docked briefly at Melbourne, where we walked ashore to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, and then Hobart, we headed eastward across the Tasman Sea. Finally, after a day of fog and moderate swells, we emerged to find the coast of New Zealand towering before us as we passed between the South Island and Stewart Island further South and Antarctica beyond that. We were finally overseas closer to the bottom of the world that I had ever been.
The culture of cruising
Viking prides itself on its cultural and educational focus and designs its shore excursions to reflect this. Yet I was surprised that the stops in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Wellington had no excursions to the Powerhouse Museum, the Melbourne Museum, the Museum of Old and New Art or Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum of New Zealand, all world class institutions full of fascinating collections. At the most the generic Viking ‘Sights of’ tours mention the institutions in passing. I admire the Viking ethos and could see that this is an area where they could substantially expand their offering.
As a novice cruiser, when the whole cruise industry came crashing down in 2020, as the pandemic struck, I was fascinated to find out more. The cruise industry was rife with ships that were registered in ports of convenience, so cruise lines could evade their occupational health and safety, workforce and financial obligations. I checked out Viking and was pleased to discover that all its ocean-going ships were registered in Norway and their river ships were registered in whatever country they operated in – from France to Germany to Portugal and Egypt.
The onboard library is everywhere and it’s more amazing than it sounds. There are shelves of books dispersed all around the ship, with quiet corners where you can read in peace, mostly away from the intermittent live television broadcasts of American sports – I don’t remember this from the last trip and luckily you can mostly avoid it. The collection is ‘curated’ (to use the latest on trend word) by a London-based bookstore and many of the volumes, while representing the idiosyncratic choices of the bookstore, are surprising and exceptional.
We discovered at the port talk that precedes arrival in each destination that one of the most significant Māori archaeological sites in New Zealand was only 17 minutes by bus from Napier. The Ōtātara Pā is a massive fortified village site covering 58 hectares. Yet it was nowhere to be seen on the Viking list of excursions. We had planned to abandon the official list of excursions and take a taxi there, but we had to be back on board by 1 pm, so it was too tight. Instead we went to a local Saturday market and enjoyed revisiting some of the places we knew from our previous visit in 2016. This was a wise choice as it turned out, because only five days later Cyclone Gabrielle struck the area with devastating impact.
‘The onboard library is everywhere and it’s more amazing than it sounds. There are shelves of books dispersed all around the ship, with quiet corners where you can read in peace, mostly away from the intermittent live television broadcasts of American sports.’
Next stop was Tauranga. Of all the New Zealand working harbours we visited on the trip, Tauranga was the workingest – it’s very large, with ships of all sizes coming and going, and unlike some of the smaller ports, big enough to accommodate passengers walking off the ship into Mount Maganui, the town next door. I popped ashore but it was very busy because in harbour there was also a much larger P&O cruise ship that had been shadowing our progress up the coast. On top of that, it was a public holiday because it was Waitangi Day in honour of New Zealand’s founding document, the Treat of Waitangi, between Māori and the British. From Tauranga we headed North to our final seagoing destination, Auckland, where we disembarked after a final night on the ship. The city was recovering from a massive deluge only days before we arrived. We revisited the many attractions of Britomart and walked across leafy hills to the Auckland Gallery.
Then it was time for the long train trip to Wellington, New Zealand’s ‘cool little capital’ – a description borrowed suitably by Canberra. On the train we seemed to be surrounded by people coughing their guts up, whether because they had COVID or had recovered from COVID or simply had a cold. We wore our masks (I double-masked, as though I was on an international flight). There was the same denial of COVID there as in Australia – neither the population nor the politicians seemed to want to mention it, hoping it would go away
The allure of port cities
I love port cities – Auckland, Vancouver, Sydney, Seattle. I never made it to San Francisco, but I’m sure that would be on the list. However, maintenance of ageing cities is a big enough ask, and Wellington in particular is long overdue for a load of it – add recovery from earthquakes and it becomes massive. Work was still underway on the damage to public buildings – such as the library – in the centre of the city that occurred just before we touched down at the end of 2016. Wellington must also be the vaping capital of the world. There were vaping shops all over the place and lots of people using their products. Maybe they think it’s a safer alternative.
‘The pervasiveness of the Māori language is fascinating, but almost as interesting in a different sense is New Zealand English. Each English-speaking country manages to keep alive a distinct version different from every other country, even though on the surface they all speak the same language.’
Where Wellington excels is in its cultural significance. Firstly there is the national museum Te Papa Tongarewa, which caused a world-wide sensation when it opened in 1998, because of its cross-cultural approach. I was working at the Powerhouse Museum at the time and remember the museum world was acutely aware of its significance. Then there is Wētā Workshop, the production company responsible for such popular culture blockbusters as Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, King Kong.
My nephew works for Weta Digital and when I visited, had just finished in a key role working on the digital effects work for the latest Avatar film. Soon after I returned to Australia, Wētā won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the film. At one stage my nephew and I connected on LinkedIn and at the time I said this is going to give me far more street cred than it is ever going to give you. Many years back I wrote an article about him and his generation. Given my interest in cultural institutions, it’s also noteworthy to see that Wētā applies its skills in the mass media world to museums, having contributed to a superb exhibition at the national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, about New Zealand in World War One.
Wellington also has some fascinating heritage sites. We took a ferry to Matiu Somes island in Wellington Harbour. It is only a small island but it played a major role in New Zealand history. ‘Its harbour location made it an ideal location for New Zealand’s first inner harbour lighthouse, a human quarantine station, an internment camp, military defence position and an animal quarantine station.’
Similar but different
The pervasiveness of the Māori language is fascinating, but almost as interesting in a different sense is New Zealand English. Each English-speaking country manages to keep alive a distinct version different from every other country, even though on the surface they all speak the same language. In 2016, we encountered ‘trundler’ for a shopping trolley – how apt – though this seems not to be used at Woolworths, branded as Countdown Supermarkets, one half of the supermarket duopoly in New Zealand.
On this trip I found ‘straddler’, the impossibly tall moveable forklifts that dart around carrying containers on the Lyttleton wharves. Being in New Zealand always makes me think of one of the few films I have watched more than once – ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ by Māori wunderkind, Taika Waititi, featuring of course the marvellous Sam Neill, about troubled child Ricky Baker.
While we were dodging earthquakes in Picton we drove to Nelson, which is a whole world of its own, with a rich cultural presence. We stumbled across a jeweller who as it turned out had been commissioned by Weta Workshop to make the vast array of gold rings of many different sizes used in the Lord of the Rings – ‘one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them’. He had samples of his rings on display in his workshop.
Wellington also has some fascinating heritage sites. We took a ferry to Matiu Somes island in Wellington Harbour. It is only a small island but it played a major role in New Zealand history. ‘Its harbour location made it an ideal location for New Zealand’s first inner harbour lighthouse, a human quarantine station, an internment camp, military defence position and an animal quarantine station.’
Similar but different
The pervasiveness of the Māori language is fascinating, but almost as interesting in a different sense is New Zealand English. Each English-speaking country manages to keep alive a distinct version different from every other country, even though on the surface they all speak the same language. In 2016, we encountered ‘trundler’ for a shopping trolley – how apt – though this seems not to be used at Woolworths, branded as Countdown Supermarkets, one half of the supermarket duopoly in New Zealand.
On this trip I found ‘straddler’, the impossibly tall moveable forklifts that dart around carrying containers on the Lyttleton wharves. Being in New Zealand always makes me think of one of the few films I have watched more than once – ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ by Māori wunderkind, Taika Waititi, featuring of course the marvellous Sam Neill, about troubled child Ricky Baker.
While we were dodging earthquakes in Picton we drove to Nelson, which is a whole world of its own, with a rich cultural presence. We stumbled across a jeweller who as it turned out had been commissioned by Weta Workshop to make the vast array of gold rings of many different sizes used in the Lord of the Rings – ‘one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them’. He had samples of his rings on display in his workshop.
‘Perhaps the unexpected result of a major disaster can be that things are shaken up (so to speak), clearing the way for renewal to happen. Like Germany after the war, destruction can clear the way for a city to bounce back because everything is new (even the old stuff).’
In Christchurch we stayed in the revamped Observatory Hotel, next to the Christchurch Art Centre – the sort of place I always want to be. It had been extensively damaged in the earthquakes of 2010-11 but was almost fully restored. It had previously been the site of the University of Canterbury and some of its faculties, like music and classical studies, were still located there. At night as we walked from the hotel, we could hear music students rehearsing in the hall next door.
Roaring back from disaster
I was not sure how much I’d like Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, but it seems to a visitor to be far more dynamic than Wellington – it’s like a place roaring back from disaster, whereas Wellington is just starting to get there, with its overdue renewal. If you live there, maybe you aren’t quite so optimistic as a visitor, but as a visitor, who knows?
Perhaps the unexpected result of a major disaster can be that things are shaken up (so to speak), clearing the way for renewal to happen. Like Germany after the war, destruction can clear the way for a city to bounce back because everything is new (even the old stuff). Unfortunately a major earthquake is not what you’d choose to help make it happen. I was talking to one of the staff at our hotel, and she told me her parents had said to her it was no longer the city they knew, but had instead become the city of her generation.
When I was much younger I made the mistake of trying to see the whole of the National Gallery of Victoria in one day. It was like seeing a whole film festival – exhausting. I think I made the same mistake a couple of days ago with the Christchurch Art Gallery. It was amazing, with a comprehensive collection of works by New Zealand printmakers – many tiny – and an astounding exhibition about New Zealand history by Brett Graham, ‘Tai Moana Tai Tangata’.
‘We went into one of the many galleries and I commented to the woman behind the counter that once all the iron and coal has long gone, it’s arts and breweries that will fill the empty spaces.’
We travelled to Greymouth, on the West Coast, on another train trip, this time on the TranzAlpine Express. Greymouth is as well known for its mining disasters as for its striking scenery. Our hotel had a large tour group of Chinese staying. I suppose it make it simpler and easier for them, with everything pre-packaged and certain in these uncertain times. In that respect they aren’t much different to most of the Americans on the Viking cruise, who flew in, boarded the cruise and flew out as soon as it finished.
From Christchurch we headed South towards Dunedin. On the drive from Christchurch we stopped in the once mighty town of Oamaru. It’s a place that was once a major port during the gold rush era and it is full of majestic Victorian buildings – it was astounding, completely unexpected. It’s also the self-proclaimed headquarters of New Zealand steampunk. We went into one of the many galleries and I commented to the woman behind the counter that once all the iron and coal has long gone, it’s arts and breweries that will fill the empty spaces.
The gallery was a co-operative of local artists from the Central Otago region which rents the building from the Trust that owns it – managed by the local council. She was off the land and had also been involved with rural co-operatives and we had a long chat about how the co-operative movement so often gets taken over and sold off by bankers and financiers, witness the NRMA in Australia. It’s ironic because some of the old buildings at the port had fadings signs of the North Otago Growers Co-operative, one of the old farming co-operatives which would have been inspired by the co-operative movement in Britain that started in Rochdale on the the outskirts of Manchester.
The Glasgow of the South
I’ve always wanted to visit Dunedin, the Glasgow of the South. It’s arts school trained many of the best New Zealand artists and the University of Otago has a world-class reputation. Dunedin definitely reminded me in many ways of Glasgow, in both good and bad ways. The extensive vestiges of Victorian architecture are similar. Dunedin was cold for summer – it reminded me of growing up in Tasmania. I had to keep telling myself that when we were in Greymouth, a third of the way down the South Island, we were level with the Southern-most tip of Tasmania. Now we were considerably lower than that and were about to go even further South.
On our last day we visited the Dunedin Art Gallery and then checked out some superb jewellery by local artists. After Dunedin we headed through the wine region of Central Otago (is any region in New Zealand not a wine region?) to Queenstown. The sense of heritage is strong. In Queenstown we finished our last day with a cruise on the lake on a glorious coal-fired (and hand-fed at that) steamer that I’d have expected to find only in Glasgow.
‘Dunedin was cold for summer – it reminded me of growing up in Tasmania. I had to keep telling myself that when we were in Greymouth, a third of the way down the South Island, we were level with the Southern-most tip of Tasmania. Now we were considerably lower than that and were about to go even further South.’
We drove to Arrowtown, the old gold-mining settlement up the road. It was full of shops, many very expensive, but also many with very high quality goods. Regional connections were strong. In the small private gallery in Dunedin where we’d admired the jewellery, we’d met an artist who grew up in Arrowtown and when we mentioned her name in the local museum there, we were told that everyone knew her and she was in Arrowtown that weekend for a party.
On the trip through the Southern Alps back to Christchurch we stopped at the sales outlet for merino wool goods from producer Bendigo Station. it struck me that it was like a cellar door for wool. We ended up buying a hat in their store in Christchurch. My fellow traveller said she didn’t really need another hat but I replied ‘we always need another hat’. It came in a cloth bag with ‘more trees please’ printed on it. That could be the motto for New Zealand. I couldn’t decide whether the bare hills all around were due to the elevation or to an extensive history of logging.
Creativity and culture at the heart of everything
Back in Christchurch and visiting the Art Centre yet again we had been circling round the Central Art Gallery and Rutherfords Den, an exhibition about the founder of modern physics who used to work at the site when it was a university. On the day before we flew home we intended to finally see them but we had bad luck with the Rutherford museum, it was closed in preparation for a major festival that was about to start as we left. When we fronted up to the Canterbury Museum it had just closed for five years for a major upgrade.
‘The trip underlined that there are three essential skills in life – learning a second language, learning to play a musical instrument and learning to dance. The rest is icing on the cake.’
I was very pleased that during the trip I worked out how to record Māori place names accurately, as they kept cropping up so regularly. I downloaded the fonts for typing the distinctive Māori letters and now I can use them everywhere. I’ve also downloaded the Te Aka Māori dictionary for a helping hand. It’s part of a much larger body of useful resources about the Māori language. The widespread presence of Māori reminds me of my trip to Tahiti in 2014, when I became interested in the Polynesian languages spoken there – from which Māori derives. The other thing I noticed was that Māori were not half-hearted about their tattoos – which after all have a deep cultural origin – they were much more striking than many of the insipid and derivative ones we see in Australia.
In New Zealand there was a lot of locality and a lot of language, On the Viking cruise there was a lot of music – played by the crew and by visiting musicians – much of it very good. At times I felt like dancing. The trip underlined that there are three essential skills in life – learning a second language, learning to play a musical instrument and learning to dance. The rest is icing on the cake. Creativity and culture at the heart of everything is what makes a place worthwhile, whether as a local at home or as a visitor far from home.
© Stephen Cassidy 2023
Absent without leave – ocean crossing in an (almost) post-pandemic world
‘I’ve been a little out of touch with what’s been happening in the world of Australian creativity and culture because for all of February and early March this year I was visiting Aotearoa New Zealand, on a journey that originally started in November 2016 and was then resumed over six years later. While I was away the Labor Government announced its new National Cultural Policy and soon after I arrived back I received bad news of a loss from the tight group of friends and colleagues who had helped form my cultural world-view so many decades earlier – when we spoke the language of community, the language of culture and the language of changing the world for the better’, Absent without leave – ocean crossing in an (almost) post-pandemic world.
See also
An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future
‘My blog “indefinite article” is irreverent writing about contemporary Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of the information age. Over the last ten years I have published 166 articles about creativity and culture on the blog. This is a list of all the articles I have published there, broken down into categories, with a brief summary of each article. They range from the national cultural landscape to popular culture, from artists and arts organisations to cultural institutions, cultural policy and arts funding, the cultural economy and creative industries, First Nations culture, cultural diversity, cities and regions, Australia society, government, Canberra and international issues – the whole range of contemporary Australian creativity and culture’, An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future.
‘My blog “indefinite article” is irreverent writing about contemporary Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of the information age. Over the last ten years I have published 166 articles about creativity and culture on the blog. This is a list of all the articles I have published there, broken down into categories, with a brief summary of each article. They range from the national cultural landscape to popular culture, from artists and arts organisations to cultural institutions, cultural policy and arts funding, the cultural economy and creative industries, First Nations culture, cultural diversity, cities and regions, Australia society, government, Canberra and international issues – the whole range of contemporary Australian creativity and culture’, An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future.
Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times
‘We live in troubled times – but then can anyone ever say that they lived in times that weren’t troubled? For most of my life Australia has suffered mediocre politicians and politics – with the odd brief exceptions – and it seems our current times are no different. Australia has never really managed to realise its potential. As a nation it seems to be two different countries going in opposite directions – one into the future and the other into the past. It looks as though we’ll be mired in this latest stretch of mediocrity for some time and the only consolation will be creativity, gardening and humour’, Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times.
‘We live in troubled times – but then can anyone ever say that they lived in times that weren’t troubled? For most of my life Australia has suffered mediocre politicians and politics – with the odd brief exceptions – and it seems our current times are no different. Australia has never really managed to realise its potential. As a nation it seems to be two different countries going in opposite directions – one into the future and the other into the past. It looks as though we’ll be mired in this latest stretch of mediocrity for some time and the only consolation will be creativity, gardening and humour’, Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times.
‘I’ve been a little out of touch with what’s been happening in the world of Australian creativity and culture because for all of February and early March this year I was visiting Aotearoa New Zealand, on a journey that originally started in November 2016 and was then resumed over six years later. While I was away the Labor Government announced its new National Cultural Policy and soon after I arrived back I received bad news of a loss from the tight group of friends and colleagues who had helped form my cultural world-view so many decades earlier – when we spoke the language of community, the language of culture and the language of changing the world for the better’, Absent without leave – ocean crossing in an (almost) post-pandemic world.
Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. The previous policy, announced by the Gillard Labor Government in 2013, was a very good policy, even though it had its gaps, but its impact was cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives, including some that have never been included in a cultural policy before. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage’, Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy.
The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this second one is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage,’ The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything.
Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot in our national cultural institutions?
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage, outlining how after decades of damage from the so-called efficiency dividend, Australia’s national cultural institutions, amongst our most important publically-owned assets, might just have been saved. The first article looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development’, Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot of our national cultural institutions?
Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy
The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived
‘We are all used to being astounded as we see growing evidence of how widespread contact and trade was across the breadth of the ancient European world and with worlds far beyond. The Romans and the Vikings and many after them all roamed far and wide. This is the stuff of a hundred television documentaries that show just how interconnected the ancient world was. Connection, not isolation, has always been the norm. Seaways were bridges, not barriers – a way to bring people together, not divide them. Now important archaeological work confirms just how widespread that cross-cultural, international network was across the whole of Northern Australia, long before the British arrived’, The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived.
History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research
‘Cultural research has long term impacts in terms of our developing body of knowledge which stretch far into the future. Researchers are finding stories in our major cultural collections that were never envisaged by those originally assembling them – a process that will continue long into the future. The collections of our major cultural institutions are becoming increasingly accessible to the very people the collections are drawn from and reflect. In the process they are generating greater understanding about some of the major contemporary issues we face’, History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research.
The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement
‘What is especially significant about the Prime Minister, in his Closing
the Gap address, recognising the importance of Indigenous languages is
that this is the first time a Liberal leader has expressed such views.
It’s exciting because for progress to be made it is essential that there
is a jointly agreed position. This moment arises from the tireless work
over many decades of hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
language revivalists – surely one of the great positive unsung community
movements in Australian history. By their hard work they have managed
to change the profile of Indigenous languages in Australia.
Unfortunately the address reinforced the tendency of government to
overlook the success stories that are already happening in local
communities and look for big institutional solutions. I hope it doesn’t
turn out to be a missed opportunity’, The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement.
The Magna Carta – still a work in progress
‘You don’t have to be part of ‘Indigenous affairs’ in Australia to find yourself involved. You can’t even begin to think of being part of support for Australian arts and culture without encountering and interacting with Indigenous culture and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals who make it and live it.’ The Magna Carta – still a work in progress.
The hidden universe of Australia's own languages
‘I’ve travelled around much of Australia, by foot, by plane, by train and by bus, but mostly by car. As I travelled across all those kilometres and many decades, I never realised that, without ever knowing, I would be silently crossing from one country into another, while underneath the surface of the landscape flashing past, languages were changing like the colour and shape of the grasses or the trees. The parallel universe of Indigenous languages is unfortunately an unexpected world little-known to most Australians.’ The hidden universe of Australia's own languages.
Changing the landscape of the future – a new focus on cultural rights
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. The previous policy, announced by the Gillard Labor Government in 2013, was a very good policy, even though it had its gaps, but its impact was cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives, including some that have never been included in a cultural policy before. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage’, Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy.
The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this second one is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage,’ The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything.
Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot in our national cultural institutions?
‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage, outlining how after decades of damage from the so-called efficiency dividend, Australia’s national cultural institutions, amongst our most important publically-owned assets, might just have been saved. The first article looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development’, Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot of our national cultural institutions?
Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy
‘When
the last national cultural policy was being finalised in 2012, more
than 43% of the Australian population or at least one of their parents
were born overseas. Now, as its successor is being developed after a
cultural policy vacuum of more than nine years, that figure has been
superseded, with over half the population or at least one of their
parents born overseas. This makes a strong focus on the dynamic promise
of our cultural diversity essential for any successful policy.
Unfortunately, the main shortcoming of the previous policy was that it
didn’t make this focus as strong as it needed to be, which was a pity because the policy was otherwise very good and
comprehensive’, Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy.
Industries of the future help tell stories of the past – Weta at work in the shaky isles
‘After three weeks travelling round the North Island of New Zealand, I’ve had more time to reflect on the importance of the clean and clever industries of the future and the skilled knowledge workers who make them. In the capital, Wellington, instead of the traditional industries that once often dominated a town, like the railways or meatworks or the car plant or, in Tasmania, the Hydro Electricity Commission, there was Weta. It’s clear that the industries of the future can thrive in unexpected locations. Expertise, specialist skills and industry pockets can occur just about anywhere, as long as you have connectivity, talent and a framework of support that makes it possible. These skills which Weta depends on for its livelihood are also being used to tell important stories from the past’, Industries of the future help tell stories of the past – Weta at work in the shaky isles.
‘After three weeks travelling round the North Island of New Zealand, I’ve had more time to reflect on the importance of the clean and clever industries of the future and the skilled knowledge workers who make them. In the capital, Wellington, instead of the traditional industries that once often dominated a town, like the railways or meatworks or the car plant or, in Tasmania, the Hydro Electricity Commission, there was Weta. It’s clear that the industries of the future can thrive in unexpected locations. Expertise, specialist skills and industry pockets can occur just about anywhere, as long as you have connectivity, talent and a framework of support that makes it possible. These skills which Weta depends on for its livelihood are also being used to tell important stories from the past’, Industries of the future help tell stories of the past – Weta at work in the shaky isles.
My nephew just got a job with Weta – the long road of the interconnected world
‘My nephew just got a job in Wellington New Zealand with Weta Digital, which makes the digital effects for Peter Jackson’s epics. Expertise, specialist skills and industry pockets can occur just about anywhere, as long as you have connectivity, talent and a framework of support that makes it possible. This is part of the new knowledge economy of the future, with its core of creative industries and its links to our cultural landscape. Increasingly the industries of the future are both clever and clean. At their heart are the developing creative industries which are based on the power of creativity and are a critical part of Australia’s future – innovative, in most cases centred on small business and closely linked to the profile of Australia as a clever country, both domestically and internationally. This is transforming the political landscape of Australia, challenging old political franchises and upping the stakes in the offerings department’, My nephew just got a job with Weta – the long road of the interconnected world.
‘My nephew just got a job in Wellington New Zealand with Weta Digital, which makes the digital effects for Peter Jackson’s epics. Expertise, specialist skills and industry pockets can occur just about anywhere, as long as you have connectivity, talent and a framework of support that makes it possible. This is part of the new knowledge economy of the future, with its core of creative industries and its links to our cultural landscape. Increasingly the industries of the future are both clever and clean. At their heart are the developing creative industries which are based on the power of creativity and are a critical part of Australia’s future – innovative, in most cases centred on small business and closely linked to the profile of Australia as a clever country, both domestically and internationally. This is transforming the political landscape of Australia, challenging old political franchises and upping the stakes in the offerings department’, My nephew just got a job with Weta – the long road of the interconnected world.
‘We are all used to being astounded as we see growing evidence of how widespread contact and trade was across the breadth of the ancient European world and with worlds far beyond. The Romans and the Vikings and many after them all roamed far and wide. This is the stuff of a hundred television documentaries that show just how interconnected the ancient world was. Connection, not isolation, has always been the norm. Seaways were bridges, not barriers – a way to bring people together, not divide them. Now important archaeological work confirms just how widespread that cross-cultural, international network was across the whole of Northern Australia, long before the British arrived’, The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived.
Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community
‘The end of the year – after a bumper 24 months of disasters – is a time of closure. Many things have changed and many more will change – hopefully mainly for the better. In particular people who have made major contributions to Australia creativity and culture are moving on from their roles to take up new interests or interests they have been too busy to pursue. This is particularly the case in the arena of First Nations languages, where the recognition amongst Australians generally of the importance of languages and culture is part and parcel of salvaging community – for everyone’, Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community.
‘The end of the year – after a bumper 24 months of disasters – is a time of closure. Many things have changed and many more will change – hopefully mainly for the better. In particular people who have made major contributions to Australia creativity and culture are moving on from their roles to take up new interests or interests they have been too busy to pursue. This is particularly the case in the arena of First Nations languages, where the recognition amongst Australians generally of the importance of languages and culture is part and parcel of salvaging community – for everyone’, Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community.
Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week
‘Being involved with Australian culture means being involved in one way or another with First Nations arts, culture and languages – it’s such a central and dynamic part of the cultural landscape. First Nations culture has significance for First Nations communities, but it also has powerful implications for Australian culture generally. NAIDOC Week is a central part of that cultural landscape’, Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week.
‘Being involved with Australian culture means being involved in one way or another with First Nations arts, culture and languages – it’s such a central and dynamic part of the cultural landscape. First Nations culture has significance for First Nations communities, but it also has powerful implications for Australian culture generally. NAIDOC Week is a central part of that cultural landscape’, Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week.
History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research
‘Cultural research has long term impacts in terms of our developing body of knowledge which stretch far into the future. Researchers are finding stories in our major cultural collections that were never envisaged by those originally assembling them – a process that will continue long into the future. The collections of our major cultural institutions are becoming increasingly accessible to the very people the collections are drawn from and reflect. In the process they are generating greater understanding about some of the major contemporary issues we face’, History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research.
The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement
The Magna Carta – still a work in progress
‘You don’t have to be part of ‘Indigenous affairs’ in Australia to find yourself involved. You can’t even begin to think of being part of support for Australian arts and culture without encountering and interacting with Indigenous culture and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals who make it and live it.’ The Magna Carta – still a work in progress.
‘I’ve travelled around much of Australia, by foot, by plane, by train and by bus, but mostly by car. As I travelled across all those kilometres and many decades, I never realised that, without ever knowing, I would be silently crossing from one country into another, while underneath the surface of the landscape flashing past, languages were changing like the colour and shape of the grasses or the trees. The parallel universe of Indigenous languages is unfortunately an unexpected world little-known to most Australians.’ The hidden universe of Australia's own languages.
‘The
arts and culture sector has spent far too many years pressing the case
for why Australian culture is crucial to Australia’s future, without
seeming to shift the public policy landscape to any great degree.
Perhaps a proposed fresh approach focusing on cultural rights may offer
some hope of a breakthrough. What makes this approach so important and
so potentially productive is that it starts with broad principles,
linked to fundamental issues, such as human rights, which makes it a
perfect foundation for the development of sound and well-thought out
policies – something that currently we sadly lack’, Changing the landscape of the future – a new focus on cultural rights.
What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture
‘With arts and cultural support increasingly under pressure, arts and cultural organisations and artists are trying to find ways in their own localities to respond and to help build a popular understanding of the broader social and economic benefits of arts and culture. Much work has been done in Australia and internationally to understand, assess and communicate the broad value of arts and culture. The challenge is to share and to apply what already exists – and to take it further’, What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture.
What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture
‘With arts and cultural support increasingly under pressure, arts and cultural organisations and artists are trying to find ways in their own localities to respond and to help build a popular understanding of the broader social and economic benefits of arts and culture. Much work has been done in Australia and internationally to understand, assess and communicate the broad value of arts and culture. The challenge is to share and to apply what already exists – and to take it further’, What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture.
Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent
‘As the global pandemic has unfolded, I have been struck by how out of touch a large number of Australians are with Australia’s place in the world. Before the pandemic many Australians had become used to travelling overseas regularly – and spending large amounts of money while there – but we seem to think that our interaction with the global world is all about discretionary leisure travel. In contrast, increasingly many Australians were travelling – and living – overseas because their jobs required it. Whether working for multinational companies that have branches in Australia or Australian companies trying to break into global markets, Australian talent often needs to be somewhere else than here to make the most of opportunities for Australia. Not only technology, but even more importantly, talent, will be crucial to the economy of the future’, Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent.
‘As the global pandemic has unfolded, I have been struck by how out of touch a large number of Australians are with Australia’s place in the world. Before the pandemic many Australians had become used to travelling overseas regularly – and spending large amounts of money while there – but we seem to think that our interaction with the global world is all about discretionary leisure travel. In contrast, increasingly many Australians were travelling – and living – overseas because their jobs required it. Whether working for multinational companies that have branches in Australia or Australian companies trying to break into global markets, Australian talent often needs to be somewhere else than here to make the most of opportunities for Australia. Not only technology, but even more importantly, talent, will be crucial to the economy of the future’, Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent.
Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity
‘When I was visiting Paris last year, there was one thing I wanted to do before I returned home – visit the renowned French bakery that had trained a Melbourne woman who had abandoned the high stakes of Formula One racing to become a top croissant maker. She had decided that being an engineer in the world of elite car racing was not for her, but rather that her future lay in the malleable universe of pastry. Crossing boundaries of many kinds and traversing the borders of differing countries and cultures, she built a radically different future to the one she first envisaged’, Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity.
‘When I was visiting Paris last year, there was one thing I wanted to do before I returned home – visit the renowned French bakery that had trained a Melbourne woman who had abandoned the high stakes of Formula One racing to become a top croissant maker. She had decided that being an engineer in the world of elite car racing was not for her, but rather that her future lay in the malleable universe of pastry. Crossing boundaries of many kinds and traversing the borders of differing countries and cultures, she built a radically different future to the one she first envisaged’, Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity.
Contemporary Indigenous fashion – where community culture and economics meet
‘The
recent exhibition 'Piinpi', about contemporary Indigenous fashion, has a
significance for Australian culture that is yet to be fully revealed.
The themes covered by the exhibition are important because they
demonstrate the intersection of the culture of First Nations communities
with creative industries and the cultural economy. In attempting to
address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, for example, it is
critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources
possessed by First Nations communities is their culture. Through the
intellectual property that translates it into a form that can generate
income in a contemporary economy, that culture is pivotal to jobs and to
income. It may not be mining but it mines a far richer seam – authentic
and rich content that has already been recognised internationally for
its high value, just like our iron and coal. At a time when First
Nations communities are talking increasingly about gaining greater
control over their economic life, this is highly relevant’, Contemporary Indigenous fashion – where community culture and economics meet.
Understanding the economy of the future - innovation and its place in the knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
‘When
we start to think about the economy of the future – and the clean and
clever jobs that make it up – we encounter a confusing array of ideas
and terms. Innovation, the knowledge economy, the creative economy,
creative industries and the cultural economy are all used, often
interchangeably. Over the years my own thinking about them has changed
and I thought it would be useful to try to clarify how they are all
related’, Understanding
the economy of the future – innovation and its place in the knowledge
economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy. Understanding the economy of the future - innovation and its place in the knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life
‘The Impact and Enterprise post-graduate course at the University of Canberra course is unique in Australia in placing creative industries and the creative and cultural economy in the broader landscape of the wider impacts of creativity and culture - both economic and social. It starts from the premise that what the broader social and economic roles of creativity and culture have in common is that a focus on the economic role of creativity and culture is similar to the focus on its community role – both spring from recognition that creativity and culture are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up. In March 2021, as the course entered its third year, I gave a talk to the students about where it came from,’ Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life.
‘The Impact and Enterprise post-graduate course at the University of Canberra course is unique in Australia in placing creative industries and the creative and cultural economy in the broader landscape of the wider impacts of creativity and culture - both economic and social. It starts from the premise that what the broader social and economic roles of creativity and culture have in common is that a focus on the economic role of creativity and culture is similar to the focus on its community role – both spring from recognition that creativity and culture are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up. In March 2021, as the course entered its third year, I gave a talk to the students about where it came from,’ Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life.
Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future
‘After ABBA, in an unexpected break from its traditional way of building national wealth from natural resources, Sweden managed to discover a new source of income. It was not as you would expect coal or oil. Rather than oil what it had discovered was song royalties, part of a fundamental change in the nature of modern economies which transformed them from relying solely on natural resources, transport and manufacturing to make creative content a new form of resource mining. Examples like theirs point to potentially major opportunities for the Australian music industry to become a net exporter of music,’ Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future.
‘After ABBA, in an unexpected break from its traditional way of building national wealth from natural resources, Sweden managed to discover a new source of income. It was not as you would expect coal or oil. Rather than oil what it had discovered was song royalties, part of a fundamental change in the nature of modern economies which transformed them from relying solely on natural resources, transport and manufacturing to make creative content a new form of resource mining. Examples like theirs point to potentially major opportunities for the Australian music industry to become a net exporter of music,’ Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future.
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