About Us

What is Fringe?

NZ Fringe has spent the last 34 years building a reputation for being a bold, brave and innovative arts festival.

It’s different to other curated arts festivals in that it is “open-access” which means that anyone can register an event, with no gate-keeping. This allows for a bold, creative energy to permeate the festival with a huge diversity of events on offer. One of the best things about NZ Fringe is that audiences are able to witness the birth of “the next big thing”—it really is the Birthplace of Brilliance. You’ll see events you loved, events that moved or challenged you and events that are so creative that they’re impossible to describe (those are the best!).

NZ Fringe is run by the not-for-profit Creative Capital Arts Trust, who also bring Pōneke audiences the free street arts festival, CubaDupa. We rely heavily on our wonderful sponsors and funding partners who support us to keep bringing creative magic to Wellington every year.

Fringe Team

Festival Administrator

Catarina Gutierrez

Catarina Gutierrez (she/her) is a bicycle fanatic who lives in Wellington. She is an experienced freelance marketing/community manager with a keen eye on all things admin. She enjoys telling stories about incredible social enterprises in Aotearoa, having worked with and for many over the years since moving from the US over a decade ago. As a keen advocate of Wellington, she serves as Treasurer of Women in Urbanism Aotearoa and enjoys seeing people smile and laugh on the streets. Catarina likes her coffee slow while practicing her film photography and painting in her home studio.

CCAT Chief Executive

Kim Bailey

Kim (she/her) is excited to rejoin the Creative Capital Arts Trust as the Chief Executive. Kim has worked in Theatre Management throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Previous roles have included Regional Site Manager (Stage School Australia), Venue Manager (Turner Centre, Kerikeri), Box Office Manager (Assembly Rooms- Edinburgh Fringe). Kim currently produces for Primarily Dance and Kim Bailey Productions and since returning to New Zealand in 2020 has produced Grooves! mini tour (2020), The Nutcracker (2020 & 2021), Grooves! South Island Tour (2021), Comedy of Errors (2021), Macbeth (2021 & 2022), Pointe Shoes and ShowBiz (2022), Melodrama (2022) and premiered Mens Rea at NZ Fringe 2023. Kim was also a founding member of The Stage Door Community Theatre. Kim is an expert in harnessing the power of people to motivate, drive positive change and strategic direction, and inspires teams to exceed expectations while maintaining a happy, safe and supportive work environment.

Festival Director

Vanessa Stacey

Vanessa Stacey (she/her) is a Wellington-based Māori artist, producer, writer and director with over twenty years of experience in creative arts and education. She has worked extensively in the theatre, film, music, and television as an Actor, Singer, Producer and Director in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. She has previously been the coordinator and director of Whitireia's Screen Acting Course, Short Film Director of Film at National Youth Drama School for 8yrs, and guest tutor at UCOL, Whitireia and Massey. Vanessa has worked as an artist and tour manager with many well-known New Zealand bands, Vanessa produced stages for Home Grown, produced the TORA TORA TORA Festival, and has also performed at many festivals as a guest vocalist. She has also worked as an artist and festival publicist for festivals and events including NZ Fringe. Vanessa is excited to put her years of experience into her role and after the success 2023, looks forward to her third season at the helm of New Zealand Fringe.

Creative Capital Arts Trust

Fringe is overseen by Creative Capital Arts Trust (CCAT), an umbrella organisation established in 2011 to facilitate the delivery of key arts events and create a reliable resource for the emerging arts in Wellington, New Zealand.

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