A summary of the 'Auckland Unleashed' discussion document with extracts relevant to the creative sector, prepared by Elise Sterback for ‘Towards an Auckland Advisory Group’.

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The Auckland Council released the 'Auckland Unleashed' document on the 24th March 2011 in order to set out its vision and intentions for the final Spatial Plan for the region. This document also provides an opportunity for Aucklanders to offer feedback on proposed directions through comment on the website, via post or email, or by attending discussion events. The final date for comments is 31st May 2011. The Spatial Plan is expected to be completed and adopted by December 2011 in order to inform the 2012-2022 Long Term Plan. Finally, it is important to note that the Spatial Plan will be foremost in the planning structure hierarchy, so that all further Council, Local Board and CCO plans will need to be consistent with it.

This summary has compiled extracts relevant to the creative sector with the aim of condensing a 228 page document to a more accessible ten pages [see PDF below]. It mainly focuses on areas of direct relevance, and has identified a few indirect areas that could impact on the sector - but there could be more of these depending on the needs or interests of your organisation. It has also selected the most relevant questions for comment - where influence could be generated by the sector towards making the final plan as recognisant of the importance of arts and culture as possible.

The following are some general comments as to how the arts has been included in the discussion document and where areas for improvement exist.

• Comments on the Place of the Arts in ‘Auckland Unleashed’

Several themes run throughout the document that could be tied back to the arts: the vision of Auckland as a leader of innovation in the Pacific; an identity for the city as one with uniquely high levels of diversity; the desire to improve quality of life for inhabitants to become known as the 'most liveable city in the world'; and an emphasis on tourism as integral to the city's future prosperity. While culture is acknowledged as impacting across all the well-beings, the approach in this document focuses most strongly on the link between quality of life and the arts and culture sector. Innovation and creativity are mentioned frequently throughout, and most especially in the economy section, but are not explicitly linked with the arts sector - a source which one might think is obvious for its concentration of creative thinkers and activities. The distinction between arts and culture is not openly addressed - sometimes they are grouped together and other times divided - with culture invariably being privileged above arts in the form of ethnic advisory boards and the like. Finally, opportunities for the city to become a regional and national player are identified, which the arts sector would do well to consider when envisioning its own scope and building its relationships.

A target of three years is set to have a regional cultural strategy completed and actioned (see page six of the attached document). This target is set within the context of goals to improve quality of life and as part of a priority to strengthen communities. It might be interesting to question how this cultural strategy links to economic initiatives and other strategic areas.

Innovation - A core principle which runs throughout the document and is featured especially in the 'People & Economy' section. It is identified as a driver of the city's competitive advantage because of its ability to contribute to high-value and high-skill employment and exports. A challenge is identified in converting existing manifestations of innovation into commercial output. There is a call to 'muster creative talents' and to establish Auckland as a 'cultural powerhouse'. These two activities are not openly linked however, and the document could do more to connect its support of innovation with the main source of this quality - the arts sector and its creative industries. Cities throughout history have relied on their artists for problem-solving and forward-thinking, which is what this plan seeks in its objectives but neglects to resolve. Formal attention to the idea of a cultural economy, alongside environmental and ethnic economies could speak well to many of the aspirations mentioned regarding innovation and competition. See the diagram on page eight (of the attached document) for more details on this point.

Quality of Life - is linked to arts and culture through the social cohesion and enjoyment that they are seen to offer to communities. This is implicitly distinguished from the kind of creativity referred to in relation to innovation and directed more toward community arts areas. An intrinsic value of human dignity is assigned to the arts through its enabling of individual expression. The Council intends to form partnerships with institutions in the sector to ensure ongoing provision of arts-related activities. It expresses a commitment to expand arts-related infrastructure. Finally, arts organisations would be wise to consider how their activities could impact on and engage young people, as this is stated by Council as a key priority for consideration.

Diversity - Indications as to how a regional identity will begin to form are grounded squarely on Auckland's high level of diversity as a unique characteristic of the city. Suggestions are made towards leveraging this quality for economic benefit and utilising it as part of a branding and image strategy. Diversity is linked with creative thinking and alluded to as a resource for growth and inspiration. If the arts can connect itself intimately with this concept it could use arguments for diversity to support its own.

Tourism - Competition is used both in the context of innovation and of tourism. The goal is to have Auckland recognised as a world-class cultural city in order to bolster a visitor-driven economy that encourages the city to be seen not just as a gateway but as a destination. The Rugby World Cup is identified as an imminent opportunity to develop a creative city profile. The arts sector could point to examples of strategies used in London, especially in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games, in order to ensure this objective is carried out to its fullest potential.

Opportunities for Contribution: (also listed in context throughout the extracts in the attached document)

Q1 - Do you think we have the proposed 'Big Picture' ideas right? Give us your suggestions to help Auckland lift its performance.

Q2 - How do we make Auckland a city that young people are proud to live in?

Q10 - Are these the five priority areas the areas that Auckland should focus on to develop a more outward-looking, productive, high-value economy?

Q12 - Do you think that leading the development of an internationally connected innovative economic system should be a major economic priority and would help make Auckland more internationally competitive?

Q13 - In developing a more productive, high value economy, what priorities and sectors should the Auckland plan focus on?

Q15 - Are these the priority initiatives that will make Auckland attractive to visitors? Can you suggest any others?

Send your responses to theaucklandplan@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or see the website for discussion event dates.