The Conch Charitable Trust

The Conch was founded in 2002 and has enjoyed 13 years of groundbreaking success nationally and internationally. We are unique internationally as the only company lead by a Melanesian woman theatre director and founded on a kaupapa pasifika of Vaka Viti – Fijian cultural values.

We have at our heart an outstanding theatre artist in Artistic Director Nina Nawalowalo widely recognized as one of the most important and innovative theatre makers in the world. We are proud to be a Wellington based company and proud to take the unique voice of New Zealand theatre to the world.

Well known for both our critically acclaimed and innovative productions and profound commitment to community and social development the company has a proven track record.

This has included the creation of seven productions, seasons at The Sydney Opera House and Barbican, a six centre tour of Holland, commissions from major international festivals and equally importantly investment in community driven projects.

We have shown ourselves able to form partnerships at the highest level from a two year project setting up a National Women’s theatre company in the Solomon Islands, with the British Council and European Union, through to collaborations in our own backyard with successful partnerships with both Te Papa and Pataka on the delivery of our Conchus Youth programme.

We are deeply committed to the ways we can serve the development of our sector successfully taking the first Fijian woman theatre producer Ledua Taucilagi and emerging theatre director Kasaya Manulevu through an intensive year of internship, and in the last 7 years alone offering 22 other internships within the company.

This broad reach, connecting as it does the grass roots Pacific communities we represent both within New Zealand and the wider Pacific, to the highest level of international performing arts excellence makes us unique in our field.