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Jazzing up the Bay

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Tauranga Jazz Festival

Tauranga locals and visitors from near and far were treated to a jazz festival of world-class standards thanks to funding from One Foundation.

Tauranga locals and visitors from near and far were treated to a jazz festival of world-class standards thanks to funding from One Foundation.

About the Tauranga Jazz Society

The Tauranga Jazz Society had its beginnings in 1962 when the Tauranga Big Band played on the stage of the Regent Theatre prior to the showing of the film Jazz on a Summer’s Day. Since then, the Society has been a strong supporter of jazz education and performance in the local community.

What the funding went towards

The One Foundation funding enabled the Tauranga Jazz Society to execute the successful delivery of the 56th National Jazz Festival and the 41st National Youth Jazz Competition. Support from One Foundation has also allowed the Society to hold community events such as the Downtown Carnival and the Big Band Bonanza at the Waterfront.

What this meant for the organisation

The Youth Jazz Competition delivered a stand-out event that provided a life-long “Tauranga” memory for 320 students and their families. The National Jazz Festival is the longest running jazz festival in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the oldest in the world. Over the more than 50 years it has been running, the Festival has entertained hundreds of thousand of residents and visitors to the Bay of Plenty region, and facilitated a wider community interest in jazz.