Our Governance
The Auckland Performing Arts Centre at Western Springs Incorporated is a registered Charitable Trust run by our dedicated Board of Directors who meet on a bi-monthly basis.
TAPAC Board Members
Tricia Reade (Chairperson), Damon Herbert (Treasurer), Stacy Busek, Ivan Davis, Robert Pollock, Robert Hunte, Padma Akula, Terri Cumiskey, Julie Debreceny and Joanne Kelly.
The TAPAC Team
TAPAC is run by a small but dedicated team of passionate professionals with a deep understanding of both the business and creative sides of the performing arts.
Executive Director: Sarah Somerville
Sarah’s career has spanned all aspects of theatre production from performance and production to producing, teaching and fundraising. She has worked with professional theatre companies and arts festivals across the country and has owned and operated her own production company, Phineas Phrog Productions, which created and told unique New Zealand stories for family audiences. The company produced over 60 live theatre productions and eight national tours. Sarah has spent the last 5 years working as the Public Programmes Manager at Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT), where she was responsible for creating an engaging yearly programme of events and experiences. Sarah has performed at Wellington’s Circa and Downstage theatres, Court Theatre (Christchurch), Fortune Theatre (Dunedin), and for Auckland Theatre Company and South Pacific Pictures. She was also a solo vocalist for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Sarah studied at Trinity College, London, earning a Licentiate Diploma for Performing and an Associate Diploma for Teaching. She has a Post Graduate Diploma from Mountview Theatre Conservatoire, London and a Bachelor of Arts (English Literature) from Otago University. Sarah is passionate about the performing arts and creating safe, inclusive spaces for creative communities. She believes that theatre plays a vital role in society and provides a platform for inspiration, education, innovation, and social change.
Accounts Administrator: Ana Hiini
Ana has been a welcoming face on Auckland’s hospitality scene for over 30 years. Behind the scenes, Ana has been responsible for managing the accounts at many of the hospitality establishments she has worked for. She is now using her skills to look after the accounts at TAPAC, including invoicing and financial reporting.
Bookings Coordinator: Joel' Bradley
Hailing from the state of Texas, in the USA, Joel' landed at TAPAC as a volunteer usher in 2017. As a former manager of dance studios in San Francisco, California, she found herself drawn to the performing arts as a behind-the-scenes supporter (except for some occasional karaoke). She loves her role as Bookings Coordinator, where she helps a very wide variety of artists to realise their dreams and visions.
Operations Manager: Jamie Mainds
Jamie joined TAPAC in July 2025 after relocating from London, where he was Deputy General Manager at the Piccadilly Theatre. He played a key role in reopening the venue post-pandemic and opening Moulin Rouge! The Musical on the West End back in 2021. With experience in theme park and zoo management also, Jamie brings strong expertise in venue operations, health and safety compliance, and hospitality. He's looking forward to learning more about the New Zealand theatre scene and contributing to TAPAC'S community arts goals and objectives.
Education and Communications Coordinator: Nieve Wilson
Nieve has a background in dance, receiving a Bachelor of Dance degree from the University of Auckland in 2023. She has choreographed multiple musicals for the National Youth Theatre, performed with companies such as Luck & Schooney, and taught dance at various dance schools. With a passion for the performing arts alongside building community relations, Nieve's focus will be will be on fostering and growing our Performing Arts Programmes.
Senior Venue Technician Coordinator: Matt Goldsbro
Matt joined TAPAC's technical team in 2022 and moved into the role of Senior Venue Technician in 2024. With a strong background in lighting design and production management, Matt also runs his own production company, supporting a wide range of events from theatre and dance to corporate functions. He's passionate about the performing arts and takes pride in helping bring each client's creative vision to life on stage.
Funding Manager: Sharu Delilkan
Sharu Delilkan’s combined experience of over 30 year spans media, communications and performing arts.
Her track record as founder, leader and Creative Producer of Sharu Loves Hats, for over 12 years, demonstrates her ability to be agile while coordinating numerous varied projects and events with the utmost professionalism and flexibility.
Having grown up in a multicultural country, Malaysia, Sharu has first-hand knowledge and is inherently sensitive to cultural differences and race. Identity-centric projects prioritising cultural and gender justice have been a fundamental part of her work in the performing arts, empowering and creating equal opportunities to advocate for systemic change within marginalised communities.
Her production skills include managing 40 female actors to stage Henry V at the inaugural Pop-up Globe and managing a team of 37-creatives, representing over 90 ethnicities, to deliver Creative New Zealand’s Auckland Diversity funded production of Dominion Rd The Musical. Sharu has a BSc in Journalism (St Cloud State University, USA) and an MA in Arts Management (Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, NZ).
Following the loss of a dear friend and arts collaborator to suicide, Sharu collaborated with the Mental Health Foundation and Changing Minds to deliver a series of fundraising events in Wellington and Auckland raising over $10,000.
Sharu Loves Hats’ projects are tīkanga Māori framework-led in keeping with her ongoing Te Reo Māori and Te Ao Māori study over the past seven years.
Front of House Staff:
Our dedicated Front of House staff bring a kete full of diverse skills, knowledge, and experience to our team. Our Front of House staff work across many TAPAC events, and are always there to lend a helping hand.
- Kate Middleton
- Julie Packer
- Kalia Regan
- Eli Morgan
- Francesca McCamish
- Rhiannon Hadlow
- Renee Cunningham
- Rose Herda
- Tyler Wilson