Auckland City Council Media release <>
31 January 2008
Hollie Smith takes on tigers at ZooMusic
Award winning singer Hollie Smith will help protect the Sumatran tiger when she performs with her band at Auckland Zoo
on Saturday, 9 February. This Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic concert for conservation runs from 6 to 9pm.
Well known for the single, Bathe In The River, her debut album Long Player (2007) reached number one in New Zealand and
won four New Zealand Music Awards, including Best Female Solo Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Smith has
since signed with prestigious Manhattan Records via the Blue Note label group.
All concerts in the Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic series support either a local or international conservation project for an
endangered species. The zoo's goal is to raise awareness and provide financial support to each specific project. Smith's
concert will be helping to support 21st Century Tiger's Kerinci Seblat project in aid of Sumatran tigers, which is
timely for the zoo, as it started breeding Sumatran tigers for the first time.
It is predicted that if the current destruction of habitat and illegal poaching continues, this critically endangered
animal will be extinct by 2020. "Nothing like merging a bit of music and wildlife awareness, I'm looking forward to it,"
says Hollie Smith.
The 14,000km Kerinci Seblat world heritage site is one of the most important conservation areas in South-east Asia. Its
large areas with natural prey and fewer predators mean it holds the best hope for long-term tiger conservation. The
areas tiger protection and conservation units work to halt the poaching and trafficking of tigers, and work alongside
villagers to prevent them conflicting with the animals.
"Since 1998, 21st Century Tiger has contributed over US$475,000 towards tiger conservation in Sumatra. We are delighted
that Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic is again supporting our fundraising in this region," says Sarah Christie, 21st Century
Tiger and Zoological Society of London conservation programme manager.
Folk and jazz singer Catherine Tunks will open the evening from 6 to 6.30pm. Jazz artist Tama Waipara will perform from
6.45pm to 7.30pm, playing from his debut album Triumph of Time, before Hollie Smith takes the stage at 7.45pm. Your
ZooMusic ticket is also your entry to the zoo - so come early to explore the zoo and check out your favourite animals.
Please be aware the band rotunda area will be closed off in the afternoon so that equipment can be set-up safely.
Tickets are available from Auckland Zoo and Ticketmaster. Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic concerts for conservation series 2008
is presented in association with Juice TV, The Radio Network, Monkey Bay wines, MusicWorks, Millennium Hotels and
Resorts, and Vidcom.
Ends
Auckland Zoo Sumatran tiger breeding information * Full details on www.aucklandzoo.co.nz Event Details: * Wild
Bean Cafe ZooMusic 2008: Sunday 20 January - Friday 29 February (6pm - 9pm) * Tickets available from Auckland Zoo
www.aucklandzoo.co.nz 09 360 3805, or Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.nz 09 970 9700. Service fee applies *
Limited capacity venue. Tickets expected to sell fast - advance booking recommended Prices: Adults $27, Children from
four to 15yrs $12 and family pass for two adults and two children $70. *
Visit www.millenniumhotels.co.nz for accommodation options in Auckland * Friends of the Zoo receive a 20 per cent
discount * Visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz for picnic hampers and VIP enclosure details * ZooMusic is a licensed
event and no BYO is permitted.
Concerts for Conservation: * Hollie Smith: Saturday, 9 Feb, supporting 21st Century Tiger, Kerinci Seblat National
Park, Sumatra * The Phoenix Foundation: Sunday, 17 Feb, supporting the Asian Rhino Project * Katchafire: Friday, 29
Feb, supporting native frog recovery.