Establishment and operation of Digital Arts Commissioning and Capability Service

Details

CNZ wishes to establish an independent digital commissioning and capability service (Digital Service) for the arts sector.

The Digital Service will be a small, agile, independent, national organisation that:
• works proactively with artists and arts organisations in Aotearoa to increase the arts and cultural sector’s digital capability, consistent with CNZ’s Digital Framework.
• enables the work of our arts and cultural practitioners to be more accessible to local and international audiences, including those communities that can experience barriers to engagement such as people with disabilities; and
• includes co-leadership by Māori, consistent with our commitment under Te Tiriti o Waitangi for Council and iwi/Māori to work with each other in a strong and enduring relationship.

The Digital Service will provide services consistent with the focus areas of creation, distribution, access, and resilience, e.g.:
• commission digital content/art across multiple platforms including the provision of immersive or interactive experiences
• broker partnerships and networks across industries nationally and globally to develop or realise a project
• assist arts organisations and artists to increase, diversify and deepen audiences and access new platforms for digital content
• provide training or skill development in terms of digital engagement including e-commerce platforms, digital rights, digital safety, and Intellectual Property, including preservation and protection of Mātauranga Māori
• consider new business models for monetising digital arts experiences.

The Digital Service will give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Cultural and creative practices from Aotearoa and the wider Pacific, including an understanding of mātauranga, whakapapa, connection with communities and mana tuku iho (identity and belonging), will be valued and acknowledged by the Digital Service for the contribution they make to our wellbeing (social, cultural, environmental, and economic).

A precedent for such a Digital Service exists in the UK (see https://www.thespace.org/who-we-are).

CNZ is adopting a two-stage process to award a contract for this Digital Service.

In this first stage we will evaluate Registrations of Interest received from parties interested in establishing and operating the Digital Service. From this we will determine a short list of parties that best demonstrate the attributes necessary for the Digital Service to succeed.