The Value of Design to New Zealand

New Zealand’s first ever assessment of the economic value of design to the New Zealand economy

DesignCo, a New Zealand design consortium, commissioned accounting firm PwC to undertake an economic assessment of the value of design to the New Zealand economy. The report indicates that during the year ended March 2016, design contributed $10.1b to New Zealand’s GDP (approximately 4.2%). 

DesignCo’s recommendations for future actions include Treasury developing a national design strategy in collaboration with the New Zealand design sector, and the establishment and funding of a body similar to the UK Design Council responsible for the strategic coordination of design in New Zealand, bringing together the design industry, research and education. 

DesignCo would like to see established the office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Design Advisor to promote awareness of, and support strategic investment in, design; a suite of Prime Minister’s Design Prizes (to the same value as the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes), to become the premier awards for design in New Zealand; and promotion of New Zealand design through the NZ Inc. network as a vital element of our national brand. DesignCo would also like to see a programme of business support for the use of design by SMEs, similar to the NZTE Better by Design programme, and increased focus, capacity and capability in matching design and design thinking expertise with science and technology innovation needs at the early stages of development. 

In the public sector, DesignCo recommends increased targeted funding support for design-led service transformation. DesignCo believes that the current conceptualisation of STEM should be widened to include creative arts subjects such as design and creative media production, and the EFTS funding for these subject areas increased. 

For further details see: http://designco.org.nz/value-of-design/the-value-of-design-to-new-zealand/