The Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC) has said farewell to Sally-Anne Kerr, who recently left her role as the performing arts hub’s Executive Director.

TAPAC Chair Tricia Reade paid tribute to Sally-Anne for her strategic and enterprising leadership over the past four and a half years.

“Sally-Anne’s astute financial management, entrepreneurial agility and innovation have helped to build a strong foundation for TAPAC going forward and her leadership has been crucial in helping TAPAC to navigate the challenges posed by Covid-19. We are immensely grateful for all of her hard work and dedication.”

A highlight of Sally-Anne’s tenure at TAPAC was securing an Arts Partnership with Waitematā Local Board. She also formed successful partnerships with a number of performance groups and organisations, such as Luck & Schooney, to co-produce the successful ‘Night of the Queer’, Pacific Dance New Zealand, to run free children’s dance classes for Pasifika children at TAPAC, and SeniorsDANCE, to run a free senior dance programme at TAPAC for isolated seniors living with age-related disabilities. Sally-Anne also launched a range of new scholarship and outreach programmes to enable children who attend low decile schools to participate in TAPAC’s high-quality performing arts education for free.

Before joining TAPAC, Sally-Anne spent a decade producing the ‘Good Morning’ show on TVNZ 1 and prior to entering the arts sector, she worked as a finance lawyer in Australia.

TAPAC has appointed theatre producer and performer Sarah Somerville as its new Executive Director. Sarah, who started at TAPAC last month, is looking forward to growing and developing TAPAC’s unique and inspiring environment.