About us

The Purpose of the Foundation (as outlined in our Rules) is to support the Royal New Zealand Ballet as the foremost proponent of ballet in New Zealand by supporting, promoting and advancing ballet as a form of creative and artistic endeavour in New Zealand with the aim that the Royal New Zealand Ballet and all those involved with the art form as a career will be given greater opportunities for artistic growth.

Trustees and Staff

The Royal New Zealand Ballet Foundation is an independent charitable trust (registration number CC47241) governed by a board of volunteer trustees, who are committed to making the Foundation’s vision a reality. Two Trustees are representatives from the RNZB Board of Trustees, helping to create a functional relationship between the two organisations. Trustees are supported by working volunteer Committees in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

The Foundation’s patron is Jillian Friedlander. The Foundation also has an Ambassador – Dame Trelise Cooper. Administration is handled by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Jane Meares

  • Jane is a commercial barrister, practising in Wellington. She has been the chair of the Foundation since 2011 when its purpose was restated to create a sustainable fund to support ballet in New Zealand.  She can’t lay claim to being a dancer, other than in her dreams, but is a lover of ballet in all its forms and particularly values the versatility of the RNZB.  Alongside her legal practice, she also has a number of other governance roles including as Chief Commissioner of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission and Deputy Chair of the Electoral Commission.

Melanie Morris

  • Melanie founded the New Zealand Bookkeepers Association, and has consulted with both government agencies and private industries to provide strategic leadership and advice for small business development. She runs her own small business Training and Beyond, which specialises in conversion and training specialists for Xero and bookkeeping solutions. Melanie is also a trained yoga instructor. She chairs the Christchurch Royal New Zealand Ballet Foundation Committee.

Louise Binns

  • Louise is a retired Family Court Barrister and Adjudicator, working in Auckland & Wellington. Over the years she has served as trustee on a number of Boards, including the Bethany Advisory Board, Shine (where she was Chair for 14 years), Odyssey House, Blue Dragon Trust and St Cuthbert’s Trust Board. She is a fierce fundraiser and worked on a number of fundraising initiatives for charitable organisations. Louise is a lover of ballet and a long-time supporter of the RNZB. Louise has been a Trustee of the Foundation since it adopted its new working model in 2014.

Victoria Muir

  • Victoria Muir owns a Dunedin-based event management company, Sequel Events, and has 20 years’ experience in the industry producing events of all types and sizes. She has been a ballet lover since age 3 when she first started lessons and continued dancing right through her high school years. Victoria was excited to join the Ballet Foundation as a Trustee in 2015 and has enjoyed her role of promoting ballet in the south through a number of successful events. When she is not managing events, she is kept very busy with her three young boys.

Dr Sarah Cole

  • Sarah is a practising dentist in Auckland- a Southern girl from a medical background. A former gymnast, ballet was an integral part of her training. Sarah has been involved in fund raising for many years and as a ballet lover, was thrilled to join the Foundation Board of Trustees in March 2018.

Nuwanthie Samarakone

  • Nuwanthie Samarakone is an experienced international business owner and company director. She stands for values-based impact that creates better lives. Her founding business, ICE, is an early in careers people consultancy firm specialising in designing, delivering and developing schemes for organisations looking to build early talent pipelines for the future. Nuwanthie believes that young and aspiring individuals represent the future of our communities, our values and our culture.

Ann-Louise Gower

  • Ann-Louise lives in Wellington and has been a Trustee since 2016. She chairs the Wellington Royal New Zealand Ballet Foundation committee, which has delivered several successful events, such as a cocktail reception and performance at Government House in 2018, and nurtures a great relationship with Wellington restaurant Logan Brown, which has been co-host for fundraisers and for a ballet-themed Wellington on a Plate event. Ann-Louise is a ballet lover and a passionate supporter of the RNZB . She has, for many years, worked as a volunteer and on fundraising committees for various organisations.

Ian Webster

  • Ian has over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry, notably as co-director of fashion label Verge, which he set up with friend Neil Brabant. He was a foundation member and former chairman of industry body Fashion Institute of New Zealand. Ian is well known for his exceptional energy and generosity. He has been on the Ballet Foundation’s Board since 2015 and is Chair of the Auckland Royal New Zealand Ballet Foundation Committee.

David Wright

  • David lives in Wellington and has enjoyed a successful career within the NZ film and television sector. A Chartered Accountant Fellow and Chartered Member of the IoD, David currently sits on the Boards of the New Zealand Film Commission (chairing the Finance and Risk Committee) , the Digital Media Trust and Wellington’s iconic WētāFX Limited. He is also active in the dementia care sector, volunteering as Trustee and Treasurer for the Redwood Daycare Trust. David’s interest in ballet began in 2001 at the start of his own daughter’s journey through the NZ classical ballet pathway and he welcomes this opportunity to support the RNZB in a governance capacity.

  • Ian Webster (Chair), Louise Binns, Sarah Cole, Diane Field, Simon Lambourne, Carol Ross, and Nuwanthie Samarakone.

  • Melanie Morris (Chair) and Ros Burdon.

  • Victoria Muir (Chair), Claire Hazledine (Queenstown), Vickie Fulton (Wanaka).

  • Lenise Lendrum, Joseph Skelton,Katherine Skelton and Nathanael Skelton.

  • Ann-Louise Gower (Chair), Lady Susan Arnold, Sarah Bartlett, Anna Hinderwell, Jane Meares, Sarah Singleton and Sarah Ting.

  • Elizabeth Isaacs, Philanthropy Manager, Royal New Zealand Ballet.

  • Jan Dunne, Chief Financial Officer, Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Supporters