Auckland Observatory And Planetarium Trust Board — Education Charity in Auckland

Auckland Observatory And Planetarium Trust Board is a Trust charity in the Education sector, based in Auckland, Auckland. CharityData rates this charity A- (89.5/100). Annual revenue: $2.7M NZD. Financial data as at June 2025.

Mission: Purpose: Standing on this whenua, we enable our visitors to explore the interconnections between people, their planet and the cosmos – through multiple lenses. Mission: We partner with Māori, scientists, astronomers, educators, communities, and supporters to develop and deliver programmes, initiatives, mātauranga and learning which excite fascination, curiosity and inquiry, that are relevant and meaningful to those we serve.

Registration Number
CC20451
Charity Type
Trust
Registration Date
2008-01-10
Status
Active
CharityData Rating
A- (89.5/100)
Sector
Education
Location
Auckland, Auckland
Website
http://www.stardome.org.nz
Email
ssewhoy@stardome.org.nz
Data as at
June 2025

Beneficiaries: Children / young people, General public, Older people, People with disabilities, Voluntary bodies other than charities

Financial Summary

Total Revenue
$2.7M NZD
Total Expenses
$2.7M NZD
Total Assets
$6.0M NZD
Net Assets
$3.6M NZD
Reserve Months
4.9 months of operating expenses
Staff Count
36
Volunteers
0
Financial Year End
2025-06-30

Financial History

YearRevenueExpensesNet Assets
2025$2.7M$2.7M$3.6M
2024$2.7M$2.4M$3.4M
2023$2.8M$2.2M$2.2M
2022$2.2M$2.1M$1.7M
2021$2.4M$2.2M$1.6M
2020$2.6M$2.5M$1.1M
2019$2.5M$2.5M$1.0M
2018$2.6M$2.7M$1.0M
2017$2.7M$2.6M$1.2M
2016$2.3M$2.6M$0.7M

CharityData Rating

Overall Grade
A-
Overall Score
89.5/100
Financial Score
100
Governance Score
65
Transparency Score
65

Board Members and Officers

Current Officers (11)

NameRoleAppointed
Alexandra CappyTrustee2025-09-23
Mitchell ClarkTrustee2025-05-01
Kelly BewleyActing Chief Executive2025-02-24
Roshni MathewTrustee2024-09-26
Daniela DelamereTrustee2023-09-26
Julian LightTrustee2023-09-26
Sarah Sew HoyChief Financial Officer2023-01-09
Shannon ThomasTrustee2021-10-12
Catherine FosterTrustee2021-10-12
Nivan BrownTrustee2017-09-20
Richard SorrensonTrustee2016-11-01

Former Officers (23)

  • Catherine Harland — Chair (departed 2010-08-21)
  • Ian Donald Malcolm — Trustee (departed 2016-09-30)
  • David Richardson Hosking — Trustee (departed 2015-08-21)
  • Jeanette Elizabeth Paine — Trustee (departed 2014-08-21)
  • Hendrik Stolk — Trustee (departed 2008-04-21)
  • Margaret Arthur — Trustee (departed 2016-01-01)
  • Richard John Northey — Trustee (departed 2017-04-01)
  • Ross Wilson Sharp — Trustee (departed 2014-08-21)
  • Helen Margaret McRae — Trustee (departed 2008-04-21)
  • Michael Spraggon — Trustee (departed 2023-09-26)
  • Victoria Silwood — Trustee (departed 2023-09-26)
  • Mukseet Bashir — Trustee (departed 2025-09-23)
  • Victoria Travers — CEO (departed 2025-02-21)
  • Cadence Kaumoana — Trustee (departed 2024-09-30)
  • Geoff Lamb — Trustee (departed 2021-10-12)
  • James Hawes — Trustee (departed 2021-10-12)
  • Wendy Youens — Trustee (departed 2020-09-29)
  • Carol Gernhoefer — Trustee (departed 2020-09-29)
  • Conor Roberts — Trustee (departed 2020-09-29)
  • Diana Patchett — Trustee (departed 2018-03-01)

Funding Sources

  • Foundation North — $176,200
  • Four Winds Foundation Limited — $60,000
  • Rano Community Trust — $50,000
  • The North and South Trust Limited — $46,000
  • Air Rescue Services Limited — $33,800
  • Blue Sky Community Trust — $26,000
  • Milestone Foundation Limited — $24,000
  • Dragon Community Trust — $23,000
  • Four Winds Foundation Limited — $20,000
  • The Lion Foundation — $17,000
  • The Trusts Community Foundation — $12,000
  • One Foundation — $9,576.8
  • Pub Charity Limited — $9,500
  • Dragon Community Trust — $9,000
  • Youthtown Incorporated — $6,000
  • Milestone Foundation — $6,000
  • Dragon Community Trust — $6,000
  • Rano Community Trust — $5,000
  • Grassroots Trust Limited — $3,000
  • Blue Sky Community Trust — $1,000

Similar Charities in Education

Auckland Observatory And Planetarium Trust Board logo
EducationTrust

Auckland Observatory And Planetarium Trust Board

CC20451Auckland, AucklandRegistered 10 Jan 2008
Data updated: 2 days ago
Financials30 Jun 2025Ratingyesterday

Financial data as at June 2025. Sourced from Charities Services register.

A-
90/100
Financial
100
Governance
65
Transparency
65

Reasons to look carefully (1)

These structural observations are drawn from public data and are worth considering before a donation. They are not allegations of wrongdoing, and they don’t affect the charity’s letter grade.

  • No chair recorded on the register
    No chair or presiding role is recorded in the register for this board of 11. The Charities Register does not require one to be identified, so this is a gap in the public record rather than a finding about the board.

Each signal is a data-driven observation, not a judgement. They fire automatically from the figures filed with Charities Services. A charity can address any of these by filing fuller disclosure or updating its officer register. Methodology: /about/methodology/concern-signals.

Revenue

$2.7M

Expenses

$2.7M

Assets

$6.0M

Staff

36

Financial data from Charities Services annual return (FY2025). Ratings calculated using CharityData v3.1.1 methodology.

Funded By

Registered charities that have funded this organisation.

About

Mission

Purpose: Standing on this whenua, we enable our visitors to explore the interconnections between people, their planet and the cosmos – through multiple lenses. Mission: We partner with Māori, scientists, astronomers, educators, communities, and supporters to develop and deliver programmes, initiatives, mātauranga and learning which excite fascination, curiosity and inquiry, that are relevant and meaningful to those we serve.

Who We Serve

Beneficiaries
Children / young peopleGeneral publicOlder peoplePeople with disabilitiesVoluntary bodies other than charities

Key Statistics

Annual Revenue
$2.7M
Total Expenses
$2.7M
Net Assets
$3.6M
Staff
36
employees
Volunteers
0

Financial Trends

Financial Trends (18 Years)

Revenue Breakdown

Expense Breakdown

API Data

Based on annual return data. Detailed program/admin breakdown not available.

Financial Health Dashboard

Cents to the Cause
100c
For every $1 spent, 100c reaches programs
Strong
Sustainability
4.9mo
Could operate 4.9 months with zero revenue
Low reserves
Fundraising Cost
-
No fundraising data
No data

Based on latest annual return data. Metrics are calculated from reported financial data and may not reflect the full picture. View methodology

Revenue Diversification

11
Score /100
Highly Concentrated
HHI: 8,856
High Concentration: 94% of revenue from Other
Other94.0%
Government Grants4.0%
Investment Income2.0%

HHI (Herfindahl–Hirschman Index) measures concentration across 6 income categories. Lower HHI = more diversified. Score above 60 indicates healthy diversification.

Peer Comparison

Ranked against 37 peers · Education · $1M – $10M

Rating Score
90
#6/38
Revenue
$2.7M
#18/38
Reserve Months
4.9
#1/38
Surplus
$45K
#25/38
Staff Cost %
48%
#38/38

Peers are charities in the same sector and revenue size band. Rankings are based on the latest available data.

Rating

A-
Score: 89.5/100
Financial
100
Governance
65
Transparency
65
Why this grade: Financial 100 × 40% + Governance 65 × 60% = 79 → A-.
View Full Score Breakdown

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Contact Details

Registration

Registration NumberCC20451
Entity TypeTrust
Registered10 Jan 2008
StatusRegistered

Companies Office

StatusRegistered
Entity TypeCharitable Trust
Incorporated29 Oct 1956
Registered office
One Tree Hill Domain Royal Oak Auckland, Royal Oak, Auckland

Sector & Activities

Primary Sector
Education
Activities
Other - Acts an Umbrella body

Data sourced from Charities Services register and publicly available annual returns. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. Scores are calculated using disclosed methodology and are analytical tools, not investment ratings or recommendations. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. Last updated: 27 September 2026.