Auckland Writers and Readers Festival Charitable Trust — Education Charity in Auckland
Auckland Writers and Readers Festival Charitable Trust is a Trust charity in the Education sector, based in Auckland, Auckland. This organisation also provides funding to other charities. CharityData rates this charity B+ (82.5/100). Annual revenue: $2.7M NZD. 1 red flag detected. Financial data as at August 2025.
Mission: The Trust is charged with delivering a literary festival in Auckland on an annual basis which: -celebrates the work of local and international writers -promotes literacy and the enjoyment of the written word -promotes a high and positive public profile for New Zealand writers -promotes the recognition of excellence in literature -promotes ideas and intellectual debate -promotes literature which supports and reflects the partnership ideal of the Treaty of Waitangi -encourages international understanding and interest
- Registration Number
- CC25635
- Charity Type
- Trust
- Registration Date
- 2008-06-09
- Status
- Active
- CharityData Rating
- B+ (82.5/100)
- Sector
- Education
- Location
- Auckland, Auckland
- Website
- https://writersfestival.co.nz
- admin@writersfestival.co.nz
- Funder Status
- Grant-making charity (charitable_trust)
- Data as at
- August 2025
Beneficiaries: Children / young people, General public
Financial Summary
- Total Revenue
- $2.7M NZD
- Total Expenses
- $2.5M NZD
- Total Assets
- $3.4M NZD
- Net Assets
- $3.2M NZD
- Reserve Months
- 6.8 months of operating expenses
- Staff Count
- 10
- Volunteers
- 3
- Financial Year End
- 2025-08-31
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2.7M | $2.5M | $3.2M |
| 2024 | $2.4M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| 2023 | $1.9M | $2.1M | $3.1M |
| 2022 | $1.7M | $1.8M | $3.2M |
| 2021 | $2.2M | $1.5M | $3.3M |
| 2020 | $1.1M | $1.1M | $2.5M |
| 2019 | $2.3M | $2.0M | $2.5M |
| 2018 | $2.1M | $1.8M | $2.2M |
| 2017 | $2.1M | $1.8M | $1.9M |
| 2016 | $1.8M | $1.4M | $1.5M |
CharityData Rating
- Overall Grade
- B+
- Overall Score
- 82.5/100
- Financial Score
- 100
- Governance Score
- 75
- Transparency Score
- 65
Red Flags
- 2 trustees of this charity also sit on multiple other charity boards — concentrated trustee bandwidth may warrant board-skill-mix review.
Board Members and Officers
Current Officers (10)
| Name | Role | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Hansen | Trustee | 2025-07-29 |
| Jenna Todd | Trustee | 2024-03-12 |
| Catriona Ferguson | Managing Director | 2024-01-23 |
| Charlotte McLoughlin | Chair | 2023-12-04 |
| Lyndsey Fineran | Artistic Director | 2023-08-01 |
| Julian Knights | Trustee | 2022-06-13 |
| Leigh Melville | Trustee | 2020-08-31 |
| Anna Rawhiti-Connell | Trustee | 2019-06-01 |
| Mark Russell | Trustee | 2009-12-07 |
| Nicola Legat | Trustee | 2008-01-29 |
Former Officers (15)
- Michael Moynahan — Trustee (departed 2008-06-10)
- Emma Espiner — Trustee (departed 2025-02-11)
- James Kelly — Trustee (departed 2022-06-13)
- Anthony Moores — Trustee (departed 2023-08-31)
- Robert Sullivan — Trustee (departed 2019-07-09)
- Philippa Greenwood — Trustee (departed 2023-08-31)
- Josephine Green — Trustee (departed 2020-08-31)
- Delina Shields — Trustee (departed 2019-05-31)
- Carole Beu — Trustee (departed 2017-12-04)
- Stephanie Johnson — Trustee (departed 2011-12-05)
- Penelope Hansen — Trustee (departed 2009-12-07)
- Erika Congreve — Trustee (departed 2016-05-17)
- Sarah Sandley — Trustee (departed 2014-09-08)
- Peter Wells — Trustee (departed 2016-09-05)
- Phillipa Muir — Trustee (departed 2022-06-13)
Funding Sources
- Foundation North — $62,000
- Foundation North — $35,000
- Foundation North — $25,000
- Foundation North — $20,000
- Foundation North — $20,000
- Foundation North — $20,000
- New Zealand Community Trust — $10,000
- Auckland Foundation — $8,556
Similar Charities in Education
- The Hato Paora Trust Board — Education
- Otago Presbyterian Girls' College Board of Governors Incorporated — Education
- Hawksbury Community Living Trust — Education
- Far North Reap Society Incorporated — Education
- Victoria University of Wellington Students Association and Te Aka Tauira Incorporated — Education
Auckland Writers and Readers Festival Charitable Trust
Financial data as at August 2025. Sourced from Charities Services register.
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.
- Same audit firm for many yearsSame audit firm (Moore Markhams) for 5 consecutive years — best practice rotates audit firms periodically to refresh independent oversight
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.
$2.7M
$2.5M
$3.4M
10
Financial data from Charities Services annual return (FY2025). Ratings calculated using CharityData v3.1.1 methodology.
Funder Profile
GrantmakerThis organisation makes grants or donations to other charities and organisations.
Funded By
Registered charities that have funded this organisation.
About
The Trust is charged with delivering a literary festival in Auckland on an annual basis which: -celebrates the work of local and international writers -promotes literacy and the enjoyment of the written word -promotes a high and positive public profile for New Zealand writers -promotes the recognition of excellence in literature -promotes ideas and intellectual debate -promotes literature which supports and reflects the partnership ideal of the Treaty of Waitangi -encourages international understanding and interest
Who We Serve
Key Statistics
Financial Trends
Financial Trends (17 Years)
Revenue Breakdown
Expense Breakdown
API DataBased on annual return data. Detailed program/admin breakdown not available.
Financial Health Dashboard
Based on latest annual return data. Metrics are calculated from reported financial data and may not reflect the full picture. View methodology
Revenue Diversification
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
Top Peers in Group
Peers are charities in the same sector and revenue size band. Rankings are based on the latest available data.
Rating
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Sector & Activities
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.
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