Creative sector vital for success - report

By DANIEL RIORDAN

The "creative industries sector" is ideally placed to fill in the blanks in the Government's innovation strategy.

The sector is one of three being targeted, alongside biotechnology and information and communications technology. And in common with its counterparts, the sector was offered vague promises and little substance in the report released yesterday.

Instead there was explanation aplenty as to why the sector is so important to New Zealand's future.

By creative industries, the Government means film and television, visual arts, design, music, fashion and multimedia art.

"Creative industries not only underpin the effective branding and marketing of all New Zealand goods and services, but also can, through areas such as design, have a major impact on industrial output," the report notes.

It says New Zealand has already established a competitive advantage in some areas, such as film and television production and post-production. Fashion and design are growing strongly.

The sector's advantages are that large parts of it are relatively independent of scale and distance. The sector is able to benefit from New Zealand's "unique culture and capabilities", which international competitors cannot replicate. It therefore has the potential to generate wealth on a sustained basis, says the report.

The Government will set up a taskforce on the sector with industry, Government and third-party representatives, coordinated by the Ministry for Economic Development.

Read the full reports:

Government of New Zealand

Growing an innovative New Zealand

Part 2

Herald features

Catching the knowledge wave

Global Kiwis

Proud to be a Kiwi

Our turn

The jobs challenge