New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said she wants the government to “be more relevant” to the country’s music industry and to create equal access to arts education.
Speaking at the Going Global Music Summit, an annual forum organised by Independent Music NZ and the NZ Music Commission, Ardern said it was “a given” that the music industry contributed to NZ society and the economy.
“But you’ll never be able to measure what you do for our wellbeing…This particular industry, the music industry, you are what I’ve always called the soundtrack of our lives.”