Thank you to our Friends | a new beginning for 2027

 

For more than 70 years, the Friends of the RNZB have played an important part in the life of the Company. From billeting dancers in the early days, to fundraising events, supporting our Partner a Dancer programme and helping provide pointe shoes for the dancers, generations of Friends and volunteers have given their time, enthusiasm and generosity to the RNZB.

For a long time, becoming a Friend was the only way in which ballet lovers could support and stay connected with the Company. Today, there are many more ways to do both. Email, social media and RNZB communications have transformed how we share news and stories. Ticketing has also changed significantly, and more than half of our current Friends now subscribe directly with the RNZB. At the same time, charitable giving has become increasingly important to the future of the Company. Donations are now our third biggest source of income, after government support and ticket sales.

As the ways people engage with and support the RNZB have changed, so too has the role of the Friends.

After careful consideration, we have made the decision to retire the Friends programme, allowing us to provide clearer choices for those who primarily value ticket benefits, and for those who wish to make a charitable gift to the RNZB.

2026 current memberships will finish on 31 December 2026, and your membership benefits will continue to be accessible until this date for the 2026 season.

 

Background 

 

The Friends of the RNZB are one of New Zealand’s longest-established supporter programmes, dating back to the 1950s, and formalised as an incorporated society in the late 1980s, with local and national committees. 

The Friends, including many local volunteers around the country, provided invaluable support to the RNZB for many years. Support has included practicalities such as billeting touring company members, a practice which continued well into the 1970s, and local and national fundraising through events, merchandise sales, raffles and more. Friends’ support was particularly visible through the ‘Partner a Dancer’ programme, including a long association with Sir Jon Trimmer, and support targeted towards the dancers’ pointe shoes. 

The Friends and the RNZB always worked together cordially, and in 2013, this relationship was made closer with the RNZB taking on the employment and day to day management of a part time National Administrator for the Friends, rather than the role being employed separately by the Friends themselves. In 2018, following a long consultation process, the decision was made to wind up the Friends as a separate incorporated society, with the branches and committees being disestablished, and the day to day running of the programme being taken over by the RNZB’s in-house philanthropy team. 

Why are we making more changes to such a long-established and successful programme? 

 

There are lots of reasons which have developed over time and have together added up to a strong case for making changes. 

For a long time, becoming a Friend was the only way in which ballet lovers could support the RNZB. The newsletters and events produced by the Friends, at both national and branch level, were an important way for supporters to keep in touch with the company’s work, and membership contributions from Friends, together with fundraising, contributed a five-figure sum to the RNZB each year. 

Over the last 15 years, we have seen a lot of changes in how ballet lovers can engage with the RNZB, and some of these have affected the Friends. 

• Social media and email communications. It is now possible for ballet lovers to keep up with the RNZB through social media content and monthly email newsletters, and this has been especially true for Young Friends. Printed newsletters sent via mail are now uneconomic to produce, and while we have maintained regular email newsletters and a dedicated ‘Friends and Whānau’ Facebook page for the Friends, ensuring that the content is different or exclusive is not always possible.
   
• Changes in booking habits. We’ve seen growth in subscription sales post-Covid, and although Friends have always received a discount on tickets, more than half now subscribe, receiving the same discount and booking direct with the RNZB. The days of taking your membership card down to the local theatre box office and choosing your seats are long gone.
   
• Changes to touring models. Until 2013, the RNZB worked with local presenters, including some regional Friends branches (South Canterbury, Auckland, Wairarapa) to present Tutus on Tour. This allowed the Friends to raise substantial funds through ticket sales, which were then donated back to the RNZB. When Tutus on Tour was revised in 2017, this touring model, which had latterly run at a substantial loss to the RNZB due to rising touring costs, was discontinued, with all Tutus on Tour performances now being self-presented by the RNZB.
   
• Decline in committees and volunteering. Friends’ committees made an amazing contribution but it had become hard to bring in new members and volunteers, and by the time the decision was taken to close the incorporated society in 2018 there were no longer functioning committees in Wellington, Christchurch, Invercargill or Hawkes Bay. 

Changes in giving 

 

The RNZB has seen steady growth in donations, at all levels, over the last 15 years, and is on course to pass $1m in donations for the first time in 2026. 

Donations are now our third biggest source of income, behind support from the government, and ticket sales. We are a charity, and as all costs continue to rise, particularly for touring, the support of hundreds of generous New Zealanders is vital to being able to continue our work. Donations of all sizes are welcome and useful, from the $10 that a subscriber might ‘top up’ with when they book their tickets, to substantial annual giving through the Haythorne Circle. 

There are now three broad ways in which ballet lovers can support the RNZB: 

• Supporting appeals, such as last year’s Nutcracker costume appeal, which raised more than $60,000. 

• Annual giving programmes, such as the Dress Circle, with higher level giving through the Partner a Dancer programme and the Haythorne Circle. 
• Legacies: leaving a gift in your will to the RNZB Foundation will make a real difference to the long-term future of the RNZB. 

Making the most of your support 

 

As it currently stands, the contributions made by Friends through their annual memberships, are not considered donations by the Inland Revenue, due to the ticket discount which is a benefit of membership. 

If you would like to continue your support, you can choose to support appeals, including this year’s Pointe Shoes Appeal. You could make a one-off gift or set up a regular payment. We keep in touch with appeal donors with project updates and news, so you’ll still feel part of the family. Donations over $5 are eligible for a tax credit. 

If ticket discounts are important to you, or you like to be organised about booking, our subscriptions are flexible, with the ability to change dates or spread a subscription across performances in different venues. You don’t need to go for the top price seats, you’ll get free programmes, and you can pay for your tickets in instalments. More than half of our Friends are already subscribers. 

If you would like to increase your support, you could consider the Dress Circle programme, which is already supported by many Friends. There are regular newsletters, events, and a priority booking period for subscriptions. 

If you are considering a legacy, we would love to talk further about how we and the RNZB Foundation can best reflect and honour your wishes, should you choose to make a gift in your will. 

If you have questions:

 

To discuss this change or to seek additional information, please email us at friends@rnzb.org.nz and we will be in contact as soon as possible.