News Release – New Zealand Affordable Art Trust
For immediate release
New Zealand Affordable Art Trust appoints four new trustees
The New Zealand Affordable Art Trust (NZAAT), the governing body behind New Zealand’s largest art show, today announced
that it has appointed four new trustees to its board. Graeme Reeves, Richard Nelson, Neil Plimmer and Fraser Carson join
existing trustees Frances Russell, Jo Hughes, Isobel Mebus and chairman Chris Parkin.
Chris Parkin said, “The new trustees are a welcome addition to our board. We are fortunate to be able to attract
talented people who want to foster and support new and emerging artists, and encourage New Zealanders to celebrate our
identity and culture by buying local art.”
Graeme Reeves, a Wellington-based lawyer is the Chief Gambling Commissioner. He is currently a director of Airways
Corporation and is a former director of New Zealand Post, and a former trustee of the Wellington Community Trust. Graeme
was the Member of Parliament for Miramar from 1990-1993.
Richard Nelson is an investment fund manager. He is also currently a board member of Fulbright New Zealand and the
Wellington Sculpture Trust, and formerly a charter member of the NZSE Asset Management Advisory Board and the NZ Public
Trust.
Neil Plimmer is chairman of the Wellington Sculpture Trust, and former chief executive of the Department of Tourism. He
also served as President of the NZ Book Council and was a former diplomat with postings in Western Samoa, Washington DC,
Rome and Canberra.
Fraser Carson is the managing director of FRESCO, an advertising and marketing communications agency that is also
responsible for the wotzon.com and issues.co.nz websites. Fraser is a member of the Wellington executive of the NZ
Pacific Business Council, chair of the advisory board for the Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research at Victoria
University and a past chairman of Events Wellington.
The NZAAT’s primary role is to oversee the annual three day art exhibition, the New Zealand Art Show. The NZ Art Show
began in 2004 (known until 2010 as the Affordable Art Show) and since its inception has sold around $5m worth of art,
returning more than $4m back to artists.
Chris Parkin said, “In recent years the NZ Art Show has had over 500 artists exhibiting more than 3,000 works in a
variety of media each year. We are now the largest art exhibition in the country and an established fixture on the
Capital’s cultural calendar.”
The year’s New Zealand Art Show runs from Friday, 29 July to Sunday, 31 July in Wellington’s TSB Arena on Queens Wharf.
ENDS