New Zealand households spent a total of $2.84 billion on cultural goods and services, an average of $34.70 a week per household in the year ended June 2007.
Spending on cultural goods and services accounted for 3.6 percent of all household expenditure in 2006/07. That amounted to more than was spent by New Zealand households on goods such as clothing and footwear, health, and passenger transport, although less than household energy rent, vehicle expenses, mortgage payments and food.
The two biggest areas of cultural spending were on broadcasting, including on paid for tv services and audio and visual appliances, and literature, including books, magazines and newspapers.
The Household Spending on Culture 2010 report is part of the Cultural Statistics Programme operated by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. It is based on the Household Economic Survey undertaken on a three-yearly basis by Statistics New Zealand, and follows similar reports published by the Ministry in 1996, 2003 and 2006.
Key Results
Highlights
In the year ended June 2007, New Zealand households spent a total of $2.84 billion on cultural goods and services, representing an average of $34.70 a week per household.
Spending on cultural goods and services accounted for 3.6 percent of all household expenditure in 2006/07.
Broadcasting was the single largest category of cultural spending, accounting for 35 percent of all spending on cultural goods and services. Households spent an average of $12.30 a week per household on broadcasting.
Literature was the second largest category of cultural spending, with New Zealand households spending an average of $6.70 a week on books, magazines, newspapers and other publications.
Cultural spending varied considerably by household income, with average weekly expenditure ranging from $13 in the lowest income decile to $76.90 in the highest decile.
Households consisting of one-parent families or individuals living alone spent only about half of the national average on cultural goods and services.
The Wellington region recorded the highest average weekly expenditure on cultural goods and services at $42.40. North Island regions outside of Wellington and Auckland recorded the lowest weekly average of $32.30.
Some of the significant cultural item expenditure reported by private households in New Zealand in 2006/07 included:
- $509.9 million on subscriber television charges, or an average of $6.20 a week per household
- $499 million on audio and visual appliances (an average of $6.10 a week)
- $292.6 million on books and other publications (apart from magazines and newspapers), an average of $3.60 a week per household
- $269.9 million on community cultural activities such as cultural societies, community service clubs, personal-interest groups and charitable, church or civic organisations – a weekly average of $3.30 per household
- $218.5 million on the hire or purchase of DVDs and videos, a weekly average of $2.70 per household
- $133.8 million on magazines and other periodicals (apart from newspapers), an average of $1.60 a week per household
- $129.3 million on cinema tickets and cinema clubs, a weekly average of $1.60 per household
- $124.5 million on newspapers, an average of $1.50 a week per household
- $95 million on recorded music (not including digital downloads)
- $80.5 million on cultural education and training
- $64.1 million on admission charges to theatre, ballet, concerts and plays.