The New Zealand Comedy Trust is the beating heart of Aotearoa’s comedy industry. Over the last 25 years, the Trust has built a robust framework to foster creative development and support comedians to forge sustainable careers at every stage of their professional development.
As one of the friends of the Trust said, “there is no university for comics but the New Zealand Comedy Trust and the NZ International Comedy Festival are as close to it as possible”.
The Trust runs a range of initiatives to support the development of the comedy sector in four key areas:
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- Providing our comedians and artists with resources and opportunities for professional development in the comedy industry.
- Wellbeing and support initiatives that place the needs of our practitioners front and centre.
- Advocating for diversity of representation in both the comedy community and our audiences.
- Running the annual NZ International Comedy Festival and showcasing Aotearoa’s most talented comedians alongside acts from around the world.
In keeping with our goal of supporting our artists, the festival model is focused on keeping profits with our performers and those working behind the scenes; this means that we rely on the support from our amazing sponsors and funders. Due to hard work and know-how, we’re able to achieve a huge amount with the slimmest of budgets. However, the uncertainty of contestable funding and sponsorship year-to-year and the unexpected impact of crises like COVID-19, means that the future of Trust and the Festival can become vulnerable very quickly.
And that’s where you come in.
How you can help
If you enjoy laughing and would like to support the comedy industry in New Zealand, we’re inviting you to become a financial donor and vital member of our comedy whānau. You can do so by donating directly to an initiative or help us purchase an essential item by clicking on the “Buy Us A Gift” button below.
Your support helps secure the future of the Trust, the Comedy Festival and the development of our year-round initiatives that provide opportunities for our artists and new experiences for our audiences – putting more bums on seats and more laughs!
We accept contributions of any size, and sizeable donations will earn you our eternal gratitude, a crisp high five, and the Comedy Champion title that you can proudly put on a t-shirt or the side of your dog (t-shirt and dog not included). You’ll also get:
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- Acknowledgement on the Trust website and Comedy Festival collateral (or stay anonymous if you want to keep us your little secret).
- Early access to tickets or invites to other cool events throughout the year.
- Opportunities to meet the team and comedy acts.
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The New Zealand Comedy Trust is a registered charitable organisation (CC32537) and all donations over $5 are tax-deductible.
Contact us
If you have any questions, give us a call on +64 9 309 9241 or get in touch at donation@comedyfestival.co.nz.
If you are interested in having a confidential conversation about becoming a major donor or supporting a specific initiative, please contact Teresa Patterson, Partnerships Manager at teresa@comedyfestival.co.nz.