Released in 2024, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report on creative thinking, Creative Minds, Creative Schools, ranked New Zealand 5th out of a total of 81 participating countries. This inaugural PISA study of creative thinking reflects a growing global interest in creativity as an essential competency. Creativity is vital for economic, social, and individual wellbeing but also a competency that remains marginalised and misunderstood. This article provides an overview of the PISA report and New Zealand’s results. It highlights the importance of self-efficacy for increasing creative capacities and offers some practical ideas to teachers for how they consider and cultivate creative thinking for themselves and their students.