In 2016 WeCreate commissioned NZIER to produce a valuation of the creative sector which estimated its contribution to GDP at $17.5bn and employment at 131,000 people – one third of whom work outside the creative industries. The following quote, taken from the NZIER Report, summarises our experience in relation to data and statistics about our sector in New Zealand:
“Existing definitions and methods of measuring the economic impact of creativity in New Zealand do not take full account of the sector’s dynamic, rapidly changing nature. Better data will allow everyone with a stake in the creative sector to better understand the scope and scale of the sector and its current and potential contribution to the economy and our well-being.”