The Kiwiburn Organisation
Our structure
So, you know a bit about what Kiwiburn is… you may have even come along to the festival a few times… but do you know how it works? How does so much chaos get facilitated and organised? How does a festival run entirely by volunteers even function? How does it all happen? It has taken some of us a long time to figure it out, because the people who have been very busy organising the event year-round and running the on-site operations have been too busy doing everything at once. So here’s a basic run down.
We’ll start with you…
You buy your ticket. This makes you a part of Kiwiburn, whether you realise it or not. This is all part of the participation. The ticket price includes your automatic annual membership subscription to Kiwiburn Incorporated Society. Members are able to attend the AGM to have their say. The money from tickets goes into financing the festival; all of it. That is why everyone, even year-round organisers, buy tickets. The money is spent on hiring the site, the toilets, the medics, security, funding Art Grants, the Temple and the Effigy, and many other things. If you want to know more about the finances, you can read about them in our Afterburn Report.
Now the structure…
The decision-making structure has been evolving over the years and, in late 2017, Kiwiburn restructured to be better able to manage the growth of the event, tweaking the structure again mid-2019. ExCom has traditionally had three officers – Chair, Secretary and Treasurer – a requirement of being an Incorporated Society, as well as an ever-changing number of committee members, mostly greater than three at any time. Now there are the three officers together with nine Facilitators, who work with the leads of the almost 40 or so teams of volunteers which make Kiwiburn run, ensuring they have the people, information and resources they need to function (see org chart below).
The Facilitators are associated with one of nine groups of departments:
This structure has moved ExCom away from discussing and making decisions at every level, into a central communications hub, effectively reducing the workload of individual volunteers and enabling each ExCom member’s workflows to be smaller and more well defined. If you are interested in knowing more about the strange goings-on of the Kiwiburn ExCom you can check out the Google Group, or the Minutes of the Monthly ExCom Meetings.
The Kiwiburn Leadership Team
Chairperson: Andy (He/Him)
Having observed Burning Man from afar for many years, Andy couldn’t get to a Kiwiburn until 2017. He joined the Finance team in early 2017, taking up the Treasurer role within ExCom in October 2017, and was on site for the set up for KB18. Andy joined ExCom to help develop a plan for the long term viability of Kiwiburn’s annual event and the expansion of Kiwiburn’s activities to include other events and happenings year round, particularly in relation to the Arts. After stepping up as Acting Chair in 2019, Andy became Chair proper in 2021. Kiwiburn is a great event, a great community, with great people – who wouldn’t want to be a part of it? Have some fun and contribute at the same time – join us now, sign up here.
Secretary: Vaughan (He/Him)
After resisting a multi-year campaign (Hi, Sena!) to get him to Kiwiburn, Vaughan finally gave in in 2021 and joined a Theme Camp of (mostly) Wellingtonians with shared interests. IYKYK. A few months later he became that Theme Camp’s treasurer. In 2024 he volunteered with the Site Office and later that year he joined the Finance team. He was onsite during the 2025 build as purchasing officer, was then seconded to site office, and was a member of the Event Delivery Team. Shortly after he became Secretary 2iC. After being mentored by the outgoing secreterror he applied for and was appointed Secretary.
Treasurer: Vacant
Arts (Acting): Jarred (They/them)
Bio coming soon 😉
Communications: Julia (She/Her)
Julia was introduced to all things Kiwiburn via the temple build for Kiwiburn 2018 and has was been immersing herself ever since. Her team includes amazing writers, webpage gurus, super photographers, social media hacks and community liaison specialists. This collective awesomeness creates the regular newsletter, our cherished Electric Fencepost, updates the website, keeps all of you informed via the Facebook page and other social media (Instragram or Youtube anyone?). She ensures everyone is kept up to date and this has nothing to do with her fondness of talking. She can be found on the Paddock dishing out the infamous Shark Attack TM, so watch out.
Crew: Rose (She/Her)
Bio coming soon 😉
Infrastructure: Bob (He/Him)
Bob had heard of Kiwiburn. Started the summer event circuit, in 2016, volunteering and kept being asked if he was a Burner. A chance encounter with a certain excom member (who shall remain nameless) while at an event, that rhymes with flignition, drinking Gin, Bob casually asked “How does one gets tickets for Kiwiburn?”. “You could join Excom”. And so it started. Bob Applied for the Infrascructire Facilitatiior 2IC role and was told that as a Burgin he should come along for “Special Projects” and see if he fitted in. Four days into the event a whispered discussion between Floyd and William resulted in Bob being offered the 2IC role. The following year Bob supported the Surveying and Town Planning teams. Then Floyd decided that Town Planning is what he would like to contribute to next and Bob agreed to take on the Infrastructure Facilitator role. And so the story starts…
Community: Kat (They/them)
Kat’s first burn was 2021, helping to run a fire spinning theme camp. They got involved in conversations about accessibility, and later that year the Community Department was born, including the Accessibility team which they joined. They’ve been involved in Community Department leadership since 2023, aside from a gap while travelling in 2024. Currently based in the UK, they’re working on improvements from afar. In their spare time they get involved with fire performance, and in their spare spare time they manage Effigy and Temple burns at other events. Somehow they fit in a day job and get involved with other communities on the side. There are even rumours that they eat and sleep on occasion.
Wellbeing: Vacant
Theme Camps: Bex (She/her)
Bex lost her burn-ginity in 2017 when a last minute decision brought her to Hunterville for the first time. The obsession with and adoration for this extraordinary, erratic temporary experimental community was instant! She then co-led her own Theme Camp, before moving into the Theme Camp Coordinator role for a couple of years – neither turned out to be chaotic enough, so she’s putting on the new Theme Camp Facilitator pants for KB24. The TC Facilitator role supports the Theme Camps, Sound, Event Registration & Centre Camp teams to bring you, dear reader, marvelous delights that you can visit, listen to, participate in and marvel at.
Services: Luke (He/him)
Luke’s journey to Kiwiburn was a baptism by fire in some respects. Having never heard of Kiwiburn until early 2023 when, at a wine festival in Hawkes Bay, a suspiciously inebriated theme camp lead almost convinced him to drop everything & to join the HBFA theme camp at KB’23 on 4-days notice. Alas, Luke missed out on what would become mud-burn ’23 due to other default world work commitments but needless to say his interest was peaked. Over the next year he became involved in the HBFA theme camp for his inaugural burn in 2024. It made such an impression on him that he decided to jump into the deep end & volunteer to become Services Facilitator 2iC for KB’25 & with his 1iC stepping aside post KB’25 he has taken the reigns of a well-oiled team for KB’26.
Site Safety: Keri
Bio coming soon 😉
Back to you…
You’re looking for the best way to participate, right? What are you into? Perhaps you want to be responsible and busy during the event, or, if Kiwiburn is your holiday, perhaps you would like to put in a few hours doing a bit of admin during the year or writing a blog post here and there. Check out the volunteer opportunities here. And for more information check out our volunteer teams.
