The Factory Theatre

21/09/2026

The on-going pursuit of support for the arts.
Here at He Waka Eke Noa Charitable Trust we provide multiple array of platforms for artists to create and succeed. Naturally, we can't do this alone. We are funding reliant for all our activities whether its subsidizing rehearsal and performance venues, performing in as many schools as we can throughout the country, presenting children's theatre in the school holidays, hosting comedians, supporting blood drives, providing mentorship, sponsoring artists, hosting other theatre companies....
The list is long. In this diminishing funding world, we seek on-going support from individuals in order to continue what we do.

Please consider donating to support our mahi.

Here are some of the artists and groups who we have hosted/supported/mentored/auspiced this year:

Red Leap Theatre
Penny Ashton
Taki Rua
Sanskriti School of Passion
Harriet Moir - Entertainer / MC
Fergus Aitken
NZ Blood Auckland
Rollicking Entertainment Ltd
Improverished
PAT - Proudly Asian Theatre
Birds of a Feather
Dance for Life Academy
Auckland Pride
WiresCrossed Productions
Wheke Fortess
Ravi the Poet
NZ Blood Auckland
Danceworks Aotearoa
Fresh Off The Page
Velvet Haven
Te Papapa School
The Cabaret Coven

We understand the arts sector is currently facing some of its biggest challenges and everyone is worthy, but we'd like to emphasize that the work we do supports hundreds of artists and community groups.

Every drop counts.

Our gratitude.

Lara and Connie and the Trustees

Rasmika Maharaj
Paula Milne
Chris Hlavac
Ahi Karunaharan

Ugly Shakespeare Company
Onehunga

Your support helps us support artists irrespective of social, economic or geographical location.

17/09/2026

Mr Fungus is visiting us in few weeks time.
He's proving very popular with all tickets $10.
On at The Factory Theatre, 80 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga
7 - 10 October, 10.30am & 2pm daily.

https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/oct/mr-fungus

Feel free to share this poster with anyone you know is looking for something special to take the little ones to in the school holidays.
We have free parking, food and drink, blackboard and colouring fun in the foyer, and a piano to play on!

Our thanks to Foundation North COGS Fergus Aitken Auckland for Kids

15/09/2026

🧛‍♀️ I want your blood!

It's that time again where I, very kindly, request for you to roll up a sleeve and give a life-saving gift!

We're hosting our quarterly NZ Blood Auckland drive on Tuesday, 29th September from 1:00pm-6:00pm, and you can make an appointment online today, or just rock up on the day!

Donating blood is such a crucial gift, but an easy way to give back to those who are in need. Blood donations are such an important part of emergency medicine, but did you know that there are thousands of Kiwis who need blood products on a regular basis? My husband is one of those people, as he has an Immune Deficiency which requires him to receive refined blood products every single week.

I'll be there on the day to say thank you, and I'll have some information from the Immune Deficiency Foundation of New Zealand if you want to read more about the kinds of people who are reliant on regular blood products!

Can't donate on the 29th? Find a mobile drive or a donor centre near to you, or consider donating plasma (you can do this more regularly than whole blood!) instead!

Come for the snacks, the banter, and the unmistakable feel-good feeling that comes from doing something selfless.

❤️ Connie

14/09/2026

What a great morning, and what a great day to announce Harriet Moir - Entertainer / MC 's tickets are LIVE.
What is soooo exciting is that Harriet has been nominated for the Billy T Awards. No mean feat.
Last year we had two sold out shows with Just Eat The Damn Sausage and now we're SUPER lucky to secure Harriet's new show DEAR STALKER.

The Factory Theatre setup will be with cabaret tables, and full bar and platters available. So why not gather a group of works mates, friends, family, and make a night of it. Ideal for a Ladies Night out, Christmas do...we will cater for your needs.

80 Onehunga Mall, OnehungaTamaki Makaurau
Two dates only 26th and 27th November.
Free parking out back.

iTICKET

https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/nov/dear-stalker-with-harriet-moir

BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment.

R18
Please share with all yer mates who love COMEDY.
NZ International Comedy Festival Dunedin Fringe Festival Dunedin Comedy
Photo: Lara Macgregor
Poster: Walsh and Beck

07/09/2026

She’s back!

Harriet Moir - Entertainer / MC and her new show Dear Stalker will be with us at The Factory Theatre 26 & 27 Nov.

After a sold out debut season at Dunedin Fringe Festival this year, award-winning comedian and 2027 Billy T shortlister Harriet Moir - Celebrant/Comedian/MC is returning to Onehunga in her new hour of comedy about the sometimes ridiculous and often disastrous lengths she has gone to to find love: stalking, manifesting, dating, one night stands, the apps, phone numbers in cello cases and more.

Woven through personal stories, hilarious anecdotes and punchline after punchline, Dear Stalker is about looking for love in all the wrong places and finally coming home to herself.

Desparate or determined? How far would you go to find love?

R18

Nominated - Best Newcomer - NZ International Comedy Festival 2026
Nominated - Best Comedy - Dunedin Fringe Festival 2026
Winner - Best Comedian – Dunedin Comedy Awards 2025 & 2024

“Naughty in content and masterful in construction”. Theatreview

“It’s the kind of comedy that wouldn’t look out of place amongst the Netflix specials”. Theatreview: New Zealand Performing Arts Reviews

“The audience are clapping, snapping and roaring with laughter for the duration, and it’s a delight to watch a show that grabs the audience so immediately and never lets up”. Flat City Field Notes

🗓️ Nov 26 & 27
📍 The Factory Theatre
🎟️ https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/nov/dear-stalker-with-harriet-moir

📸 Lara Macgregor
🎨 Walsh and Beck

iTICKET

02/09/2026

A gorgeous review for our friends Improverished after their 10 Year Anniversary special 'Greatest Hits':

'Serving up a smorgasbord of smash-hits is how improv troupe Improverished like to celebrate their 10-year (sort of; it’s technically 11 but don’t worry about that) anniversary.

The game is to cram all their previous shows into one, eschewing their typical style of long-form improvised storytelling for a variety show approach...

We are taken on a whirlwind journey across genres – fairy tales and farce, action, mystery, fantasy and romance... Some are full short stories made from a few prompts and wrapped up neatly at the end, others are explicitly games or stripped back stories in the form of radio news bulletins and dvd commentary by obscure crew members.

The Factory, one of the many venues the troupe have frequented, is the perfect setting for an Improverished show, which tend to work better in intimate spaces. The stage provides enough space for physical comedy, while the audience is relatively small and near the performers, making for easy interaction that everyone has a chance to feel part of.

The interactive elements provide plenty of fun and silliness – gerbil wranglers, beans for toes and Bruce Willis’ teeth, just to name some of the bangers. The audience is thoroughly engaged by the end, with everyone competing for their favoured version of the story to play out.

With such an extensive back catalogue, the group could easily coast off this success and decide to continue repeating their past hits (it is literally different every night after all!). While I am thoroughly tantalised into wanting to see the full-length version of them all, I also hope the group continue to innovate. It is not just the wit, enthusiasm and rapport of their performers that make Improverished a success, but also the clever working of the improvised format into all different kinds of stories.

It is a wholesome night full of joy and unpredictable chaos – an apt testament to the brand Improverished have built for themselves. It’s an impressive feat for any theatre company to stick around for ten years, weathering economic ups and downs as well as unfriendly arts policies, let alone independent ones who see members come and go. And it’s not only audiences who have benefitted – Improverished are also spreading the joy of improv through their adult beginner classes and other educational initiatives. The troupe has built a real sense of community, and I think this is the backbone of their successful longevity. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that Improverished, whatever they might decide to take on next, will be around for another ten years to come.
By Erin O’Flaherty.'

Our sentiments exactly, Erin! We can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring for our pals.

Photo cred: Madeleine Smith

28/08/2026

Really excited to announce our second school holidays show.

MR FUNGUS will be joining us here at The Factory for the October School Holidays.
7 - 10 October
2 x Shows Daily 10.30am & 2pm
ALL TICKETS $10.00

http://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/oct/mr-fungus

This is made possible by Foundation North and Community Matters COGS.

Thanks to Fergus Aitken and Amalia

25/08/2026

Thank you Taki Rua and Te Papapa School. We loved hosting you and the delightful production that is Rere Atu Taku Poi!
Our thanks to the actors, Liam and Paul.
We'd love to have you all back again next year.
Creative New Zealand
Pic: Connie Boston

23/08/2026

We haven't posted our fundraising platform for a while, but wanted to let you know it's ONGOING and what we've got going on.

Tomorrow we welcome Taki Rua and Te Papapa School, October holidays we welcome Mr Fungus, and in November we have the marvelous Harriet Moir - Entertainer / MC returning with her new show Dear Stalker. Tickets for Mr Fungus and Dear Stalker will be going on sale soon.

These projects are only made possible by you.
A huge thank you to all those who have contributed since we started this platform, and we need your ongoing support.
This is the most challenging climate ever to create work and support artists, and to continue to provide facilities that are subsidized for creatives - so every little or large amount matters.

Please Givealittle or a lot.

Our gratitude

The team (well, Connie and Lara) who run the Factory Theatre, Kete Aronui, He Waka Eke Noa Charitable Trust and the Ugly Shakespeare Company

Our Trustees:
Rasmika Maharaj
Chris Hlavac
Ahi Karunaharan
Paula Milne

https://givealittle.co.nz/org/he-waka-eke-noa-charitable-trust