Arts and health — using creative practice as a health intervention — is a growing sector in New Zealand. Music therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, poetry, and community arts programmes improve mental health, support people with dementia, reduce social isolation, and enhance quality of life in hospitals and aged care. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Creative NZ funds arts and health programmes:
- Arts Grant: Creative arts in health settings
- Community arts: Arts programmes with health and wellbeing outcomes
- Arts Access Aotearoa: Disabled people's access to arts — arts in healthcare
Arts Access Aotearoa specialises in arts and health:
- Arts in prison and justice
- Arts for disability inclusion
- Arts in health settings
- Community arts for wellbeing
Health system arts and health:
- Arts in hospitals: Volunteer and funded arts programmes
- Music therapy: Registered music therapists in clinical settings
- Art therapy: Art therapy in mental health services
- Palliative care arts: Creative arts in end-of-life care
Gaming trusts fund arts and health programmes:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community arts including health applications
- Grassroots Trust: Community health and arts
- Pub Charity: Community arts and health
- Lion Foundation: Community health and wellbeing
Gaming trust arts and health applications:
- Music therapy sessions in aged care
- Art therapy in community mental health
- Arts workshops in hospitals
- Community arts for social isolation
Music therapy as a health intervention:
- Music Therapy NZ: Professional association
- Registered music therapists: Clinical music therapy in hospitals and aged care
- Dementia music therapy: Significant evidence for dementia — reducing agitation
- Child development: Music therapy for children with developmental disabilities
Art therapy in NZ:
- PHAB (People with Handicaps Abilities): Disability arts
- Mental health art therapy: Art therapy in clinical mental health settings
- School art therapy: Therapeutic arts in schools
Arts for people with dementia:
- Alzheimers NZ: Arts programme support
- Music and Memory: Music therapy for dementia
- Creative ageing: Arts for cognitive stimulation
- Gaming trusts: Dementia arts programme funding
Arts as social prescription:
- GPs: Referring patients to arts activities for wellbeing
- Social prescribing: NZ moving toward social prescribing models
- Community arts: Arts as health and social prescription
End-of-life arts:
- Hospice NZ: Arts in palliative care
- Legacy projects: Creative legacy for people at end of life
- Music therapy: Palliative music therapy for comfort and meaning
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Health outcomes: Measurable wellbeing, mental health, or quality of life outcomes
- Clinical setting: Hospital, aged care, mental health, or disability context
- Professional practice: Registered therapists (music therapy, art therapy)
- Community wellbeing: Arts reducing isolation and improving mental health
- Dementia: Evidence-based arts interventions for people with dementia
- Accessibility: Arts accessible to people with disability or health conditions
- Evaluation: Measuring and reporting health and wellbeing outcomes
- Equity: Reaching underserved communities through arts and health
Tahua's grants management platform helps arts and health organisations manage grant applications across Creative NZ, Te Whatu Ora, gaming trusts, and health foundations, tracking wellbeing, clinical, and community arts outcomes.