The Helen Clark Years: Cultural Policy in New Zealand 1999−2008

Abstract

This article introduces and contextualizes the essays contained in this edition of the journal. It offers an analysis of the political, economic, and social context of New Zealand prior to Helen Clark's election as Prime Minister in 1999. It then provides some account of her initial actions as Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage, focusing on the “cultural recovery package” that featured prominently on her initial policy agenda. While this package established her reputation as an enterprising Cultural Minister, it is suggested that the true legacy of her decade in the portfolio may lie elsewhere. Among the particular achievements to be considered are her promotion and preservation of New Zealand's military heritage; her successful adaptation for New Zealand of Britain's Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS); “creative industries” policy framework; her extension of IP protection with the onset of the digital age; and her increased investment in the New Zealand film industry as it sought to strike some balance between achieving global market success and articulating a distinctive cultural vision.