Tag Archives: Advocacy

Open Letter to Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Education: Why Art History Matters

Advocacy

This letter was published on the website of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. See the original here. 19 September 2025 We write as representatives of Aotearoa New Zealand’s arts and cultural sector to express our shared concern about the suggested removal of Art History from the New Zealand Secondary School Curriculum. Art History develops critical 21st-century skills  In a world increasingly dominated by images, Art History provides essential skills. It teaches analytical and critical reasoning, alongside strong written, visual and cultural literacy skills. It also builds awareness that images carry ideas and diverse perspectives. Art History is an interdisciplinary […]

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Protesting the Removal of Art History from the New Zealand Secondary School Curriculum

Advocacy

AAANZ has added its voice to the protests against the proposed removal of art history from the New Zealand School Curriculum. The AAANZ President Katrina Grant and Aotearoa New Zealand representatives Raymond Spiteri, Linda Tyler and Caroline Vercoe have written to Minister Erica Stanford protesting this proposal: Letter regarding proposed removal of art history in NZ schools We write as representatives of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation that represents hundreds of professional art historians, curators, artists and writers across both Australia and New Zealand. As an organisation we are deeply concerned at the announcement that […]

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Petition to Repeal Job-Ready Graduates Policy

Advocacy

The Australian Historical Association has started a petition calling for the repeal of the Job-Ready Graduates Policy. The petition is addressed to the Parliament of Australia and the AHA are asking for people to support it. From the petition: During the debate over the JRG bill, Labor Senators correctly noted that the peculiar targeting of the humanities and social sciences on the grounds of their graduates not being job-ready was also “wrong”. They noted that these disciplines “offer students robust generalist educations, with strong employment prospects upon completion … [T]he evidence is that, three years after completion, [arts] graduates are […]

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Advocacy | AAANZ support for the Visual Arts program and the Visual Cultures major at La Trobe University

Advocacy,

AAANZ president Wendy Garden has written to the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University to express our concerns over proposed changes to the Visual Arts program and the Visual Cultures major at La Trobe University. AAANZ has expressed its concerns stating that: The Art Association of Australia New Zealand (AAANZ) offers its strong support to the Visual Arts program and the Visual Cultures major at La Trobe University. Now facing major challenges due to the University’s restructuring plans, Visual Arts and Visual Cultures are successful and distinctive units which make an important contribution to research and education in this region. It […]

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AAANZ statement on Marriage Equality

Advocacy, News

  The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand strongly supports same-sex marriage and encourages all eligible members of the Association to answer “Yes” in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. As the Association believes that all people should be treated equally under the law, it takes the view that everybody should be able to marry the person they love. In this way, the Association upholds a fundamental human right and respects the freedoms and rights of all members of the community. The Association also strongly and unequivocally supports our LGBTIQ members and encourages all members to reach out to […]

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