The Ministry of Cultural Affairs had been created in 1991; prior to this, the
Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) had provided oversight and support for arts and culture functions. The purpose of the merger of functions and departments was to create a coherent, non-fragmented overview of the cultural and heritage sector, rather than spreading services and functions across several departments. At the time of its establishment, the minister responsible for the ministry was the Minister for Culture and Heritage. This position is now titled the
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Cutbacks under Sixth National Government, 2023–present In April 2024, the Ministry proposed reducing its workforce from 184 to 150 roles to meet Government budgetary cutbacks. Of the 34 affected net roles, 23 were already vacant while 11 would be redundancies. In mid-June 2025, the Ministry proposed slashing 24 jobs (15 percent of its workforce) after the
2025 New Zealand budget reduced its budget by NZ$2 million. These proposed cuts include laying off three of its seven historians and most of its digital production roles. Historian
Jock Phillips expressed concerns that these job cuts would affect educational websites run by the Ministry. An unidentified Ministry official also expressed concern that the cutbacks would affect its community engagement including school groups, the
iwi/tribal-led Te Tai Whakaea Treaty Settlement Stories and Pacific Histories programmes. In late July 2025, the Ministry confirmed plans to cut 26 roles including four senior historians. However, work would continue on the
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand website and complete work on a history of the
Dawn Raids. In response, the
Public Service Association's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons described the cutbacks as "cultural vandalism". In late July 2025, former chief
Department of Internal Affairs historian and former chief editor of Te Ara
Jock Phillips expressed concern that NZ$8 million worth of budget cuts to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage could undermine the operational viability of the online Te Ara: Encyclopedia of New Zealand. On 4 September 2025, the Ministry confirmed plans to disestablish two historians based at the war memorial education centre in
Pukeahu by December 2025. These historians are responsible for teaching children about the
New Zealand Wars, the
Gallipoli campaign and the
Vietnam War. In addition, the Ministry confirmed plans to disestablish the carillonist responsible for playing the bells at
Pukeahu National War Memorial Park. == Functions ==