Devastating Fire Destroys The Dust Palace's Stored Circus Equipment And Theatre Assets

Press Release – The Dust Palace
Auckland, NZ – A massive fire in the early hours of Sunday morning June 9th has completely destroyed the storage facility housing all of The Dust Palace's circus props, aerial equipment, costumes, and recently donated theatre seating.
The fire broke out in a commercial warehouse on Maurice Road in Penrose just before 1am on June 8, with over 50 firefighters responding to the blaze. Among the tenants of the facility was The Dust Palace Trust, a renowned circus and performing arts organisation known for its community engagement, national touring productions, and kaupapa Māori-led education programmes.
The fire resulted in the total loss of more than 15 years of creative material, including hand-crafted set pieces, specialist circus gear, and the full inventory of aerial rigging equipment. Also lost were newly donated theatre seats used in the recent production of Haus of YOLO at Ellerslie Arts—seats that were destined to support the creation of affordable performance spaces.
'The damage is catastrophic,' says Grae Burton, Chair of The Dust Palace Trust. 'This is more than just equipment—this is the creative heartbeat of years of mahi, training, and generosity from our community.'
The Trust has launched a Givealittle page to raise funds to rebuild and recover. Donations will go toward replacing essential equipment so that upcoming shows, community classes, and youth outreach can continue as planned.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scoop

a day ago

• Scoop

Gaza: As Last Fuel Supplies Run Out, Aid Teams Warn Of Catastrophe

19 June 2025 Speaking from Gaza City in the north of occupied territory, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that water pumps had stopped at one site for displaced people there on Wednesday 'because there's no fuel'. 'We are really - unless the situation changes - hours away from a catastrophic decline and a shutdown of more facilities if no fuel enters or more fuel isn't retrieved immediately,' she told UN News. In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that without the immediate entry of fuel or access to reserves, 80 per cent of Gaza's critical care units essential for births and medical emergencies will shut down. More killed seeking aid The development comes as Gaza's authorities reported that 15 people had been killed near an aid distribution hub in the centre of the Strip on Thursday. On Tuesday, unverified videos of another incident circulating on social media showed dead bodies lying in the street near a relief facility in the southern city of Khan Younis, reportedly following artillery fire. Finding food is a daily challenge for increasingly desperate Gazans who are ' simply waiting for food and hoping to find something in order not to watch their children starve in front of their eyes ', Ms. Cherevko explained. She added: 'I spoke with a woman a couple of days ago where she told me that she went with a friend of hers who is nine months pregnant in hopes of finding some food. Of course, they didn't manage because they were too afraid to enter areas where there could be incidents like the ones that have been reported over the past few days.' Search for shelter Back in Gaza City, OCHA's Ms. Cherenko said that conditions in shelters in Gaza are now 'absolutely horrific' and increasingly crowded - 'there are people coming from the north constantly,' the veteran aid worker added, while others are also moving back northwards, likely to be closer to the entry points for aid convoys. The amount of aid entering Gaza today remains extremely limited and far below the 600 trucks a day that used to reach the enclave before the war began in October 2023. In its latest update, OCHA reported that 'starvation and a growing likelihood of famine' are ever-present in the enclave. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women now face miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns as a result of the food shortages. Starvation diet 'With the very limited volume of aid that is entering, everyone continues to face starvation and people are constantly risking their lives to try to find something,' Ms. Cherevko continued. ' You eat or [you're] left with the choice of starving to death.' After more than 20 months of war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, 82 per cent of Gaza's territory is either an Israeli militarized zone or affected by evacuation orders. Three months since hostilities re-escalated on 18 March, more than 680,000 people have been newly displaced. 'With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in every available space, including overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas,' OCHA said.

Otago Daily Times

3 days ago

• Otago Daily Times

New horse in sights for charity

Olly the horse is heading to Dunedin to help riders at Dunedin Riding for the Disabled. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Dunedin Riding for the Disabled is hoping that a new horse will soon be added to the team thanks to generous giving. The organisation is running a Givealittle page to raise funds towards the costs of bringing an 11-year-old horse called Olly from Christchurch into the organisation's Fairfield herd. The horse has a riding school history that shows he is good with children and has experience with many of the types of activities that are used in the organisation's programme. Measuring 16 hands, Olly will have the right temperament for riders who take part in its programme of therapeutic horseback riding. President Grant Shackell said maintaining a herd of suitable horses was every bit as important to the organisation as having the support of its team of volunteers. It was constantly reviewing its horse herd and managing their workload. "Suitable horses don't come along every day. "We have been given the unique opportunity to purchase Olly, a horse that we expect to fit into our programme seamlessly. "He will also be one of our larger horses and will suit some of our wait-listed riders who need a larger mount." To give, visit and search for Dunedin RDA.

Scoop

09-06-2025

• Scoop

Devastating Fire Destroys The Dust Palace's Stored Circus Equipment And Theatre Assets

Press Release – The Dust Palace Auckland, NZ – A massive fire in the early hours of Sunday morning June 9th has completely destroyed the storage facility housing all of The Dust Palace's circus props, aerial equipment, costumes, and recently donated theatre seating. The fire broke out in a commercial warehouse on Maurice Road in Penrose just before 1am on June 8, with over 50 firefighters responding to the blaze. Among the tenants of the facility was The Dust Palace Trust, a renowned circus and performing arts organisation known for its community engagement, national touring productions, and kaupapa Māori-led education programmes. The fire resulted in the total loss of more than 15 years of creative material, including hand-crafted set pieces, specialist circus gear, and the full inventory of aerial rigging equipment. Also lost were newly donated theatre seats used in the recent production of Haus of YOLO at Ellerslie Arts—seats that were destined to support the creation of affordable performance spaces. 'The damage is catastrophic,' says Grae Burton, Chair of The Dust Palace Trust. 'This is more than just equipment—this is the creative heartbeat of years of mahi, training, and generosity from our community.' The Trust has launched a Givealittle page to raise funds to rebuild and recover. Donations will go toward replacing essential equipment so that upcoming shows, community classes, and youth outreach can continue as planned.