Executive summary

Executive summary

Many children and young people participate in arts, culture and recreation (ACR) activities, yet there is very little research reporting on this in Aotearoa New Zealand. Research is particularly lacking for young people’s ACR participation under 15 years of age. The current research project utilised data from 4,500 12-year-olds, captured through Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ)’s 12-year data collection wave (DCW); the aim of the analysis was to gain insight into young people’s participation in a variety of extracurricular and free-time arts, cultural, sporting and recreation activities, in order to inform policy and service delivery.

Specifically, the project asked how 12-year-olds are participating in ACR activities, and what are the enablers and barriers to participation in ACR activities.

Overall, the results showed that young people were highly engaged in ACR activities outside of school; however, not all young people had the same opportunities or interest in participation.

More specifically, the results showed that:

• Over 90% of young people reported listening to music, active play, household chores, and spending time outdoors at least once a week.
• Listening to music was the free-time activity young people most frequently engaged in; over half (52%) of all participants listened to music daily or more.
• Approximately 3 out of 4 young people read books at least once a week.
• 97% of 12-year-olds reported participating in some kind of extracurricular activity.
• Overall, sports was the extracurricular activity category with the highest level of participation, with 88% of 12-year-olds reporting having regularly participated in extracurricular sports activities.
• When examining individual extracurricular activities, the highest reported individual extracurricular activity was ‘painting or drawing’ (39%).
• On average, young people reported 6.2 extracurricular activities, and 83% reported these from 2 or more categories (e.g. sports and music).
• 15% of young people participated in kapa haka as an extracurricular activity, yet other individual ngā toi Māori activities had lower extracurricular participation.

Both free-time and extracurricular ACR activities were then examined in relation to various child, household and neighbourhood demographic characteristics to explore both barriers to and enablers of ACR participation. Young people also reported on activities that they missed out on, and reasons for missing out on these activities.

These results showed that:

• Cisgender girls and transgender and non-binary young people reported higher participation in creative free-time activities than cisgender boys.
• People living with extended family reported higher creative free-time activity participation than those living in other family contexts. Some differences were also seen by ethnicity, with Asian, Pacific, and MELAA young people reporting higher creative free-time activity participation for some activities, compared to sole European.
• Functional disability, material hardship, and area-level deprivation were associated with lower participation in some free-time activities; however, the pattern of results was more complex.
• For extracurricular activities, participation varied by ethnicity, gender, disability, material hardship, household structure, and rurality.
• Sports participation was higher for cisgender boys, those with little material hardship, and those living with extended family. Participation was lower for those with a functional disability.
• Living with extended family was associated with higher participation across a large range of extracurricular activities, compared to other household structures.
• Almost a third of 12-year-olds said there was an extracurricular activity they wanted to do but missed out on, the top two individual missed activities being ‘running/cross-country’ and ‘Asian dance styles’.
• The most common reason young people cited for missing out on an activity was not having enough time (37%).

Overall, this research demonstrates that 12-year-olds are highly engaged in arts, culture and recreation activities, reflecting an importance of providing access to these activities across New Zealand. Listening to music, sports, drawing and painting, and community groups or clubs were all very popular activities with New Zealand youth. Other activities indicate new and emerging avenues for ACR participation, such as gaming and digital art. Yet some activities have lower participation overall, including those categorised as ngā toi Māori (with the exception of kapa haka participation). Understanding participation rates with specific cultural activities that are associated with our unique kiwi identity, is important for mitigating barriers to ensure the preservation and promotion of matāuranga Māori.

The research also shows that not everyone has equal access or interest in participation; it is important to examine those who have lower or higher participation, such as those living with extended family members, differences between gender groups, and disability. In turn, understanding the reasons why 12-year-olds cannot engage in specific activities, either due to lack of time, access, or challenges due to hardship or individual and cultural beliefs, can help develop strategic support to encourage young peoples’ ACR participation.

The findings have policy and practice implications; although they do not indicate the impacts of specific initiatives, they contribute to an overall evidence base for how youth participate. They show that 12-year-olds are highly engaged in arts, culture and recreation activities, reflecting an importance of providing access to these activities across New Zealand. Understanding the unique issues and contribution of youth will foster participation, equity, and support the long-term goals of resilience and sustainability within the cultural system.

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Citation

Evans, R. J., Redman, K., Miller, S., Wang, Y., Sweetman, L., Fenaughty, J. (2023). Arts, Culture and Recreation Participation in the Growing Up in New Zealand Cohort at 12-Years [Manatū Taonga Bespoke Report]. Auckland: Growing Up in New Zealand. ISBN 978-0-478-18490-7. Available from: https://www.mch.govt.nz/publications/arts-culture-and-recreation-participation-growing-new-zealand-cohort-12-years