The arts are deeply embedded in the philosophy of education in our country. We stand on the shoulders of arts’ giants such as Elwyn Richardson, Jack Shallcrass and Ralph McAllister, who wove the arts into the expressive language of children. Over time, embedding the arts in language teaching, proved critical to children’s language development and contributed to our high rates of literacy in New Zealand. That mantle of excellence is being eroded. It is not a coincidence that the period of disincentive and disinvestment in the arts, reflects a reduction in our literacy achievement rates. We know the value of the arts and we have never needed permission to act on our beliefs. I ask you to join me in championing the arts anew. Discover the value arts for your school curriculum and build capability in your teachers to embrace them.
