Prior to that in the 1940s because of centennial celebrations the government set up a cultural office within the Department of Internal Affairs, the New Zealand Film Unit and a national orchestra.
They were set up in 1978 to 'encourage, promote and develop the practice and appreciation of the arts and crafts of the Māori and South Pacific people in New Zealand.
[3] In 1983 MASPAC awarded funding to Misa Emma Kesha to establish the Dunedin Multicultural Weavers Association so cultures could exchange their artforms and Indigenous stories,[3] and in the same year Emily Schuster became the convener of a steering committee to look at the needs of weavers around New Zealand.
[1] In 1994 the crown entity of Creative New Zealand replaced the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council.
[5] Crown funding for the arts through Creative New Zealand has not expanded with population growth of almost 1 million people between 2006 and 2022.
[citation needed] Creative New Zealand funding is distributed under four programmes: Creative New Zealand funds Toi Ake that seeks to protect, develop and retain the heritage of Māori arts / ngā toi Māori.