I love it when my opinion is reinforced with evidence after the fact. Days after I call Wellington the art capital of NZ compared with Auckland and Christchurch, Infometrics has put a chart together based on NZ arts related employment per city. Wellington comes out tops. Dunedin beats Christchurch. Good news for boring Hamilton. Palmerston North has fewer arty people than the Tron.
Yeah, yeah, Auckland has three times the number of artists, but per capita Wellington's in the thick of it. Don't believe me? Here's a few more qualitative reasons why Wellington runs arty circles around the rest:
1. The Capital Times. Weekly free high circulation arts newspaper. Nothing like it anywhere else in the country.
2. The Wellington Waterfront. Popular promenade walk with inspiring surprises. Very busy thoroughfare for foot and pedal traffic. Nothing like it anywhere else in the country.
3. The Green Belt. Peace, picnics or psilocybin shrooms; the Green Belt will ease your mind. Never mind the chainsaw orchestras in Auckland warming up. Wellington will always have its native bush within walking distance of the CBD.
