THE PANTOGRAPH PUNCH

We don’t exist without our readers, nor do we exist without our pals. Our Pals help to keep arts publishing alive and thriving, and support the sort of stories our nation needs to hear. Become a Pal!

Logo and image design by
Haz Forrester

The Pantograph Punch has never been static. Since its Tumblr-era inception over ten years ago, Pantograph has grown to occupy a loving, necessary and critical space in Aotearoa’s publishing industry, dropping guerrilla acts of arts criticism. Our devoted supporters and readers have allowed us to continue to deliver the freshest perspectives from underheard voices, to get deep into the conversations that matter, and shape-shift the scenes we belong to. All of this has supported our role in developing the voices of great writers and leaders.

Fresh as in, that essay you open up, and as you read, it touches you with that kind of wow-energy.

Ataria Sharman,
in ‘New Skin in the Game’

We’re deeply excited for the new era of The Pantograph Punch. With a brand-new team on the ground, guided by our high-key incredible board, there’s a lot that’s exciting for us on the horizon despite the obvious setbacks (cough cough pandemic/crisis of inequality??). Now you can join in our commitment to arts publishing and secure our future through our membership programme: Pantograph Pals.

Introducing Pantograph Pals

What is ‘Pantograph Pals’?

Pantograph Pals is a membership campaign that supports us to continue our groundbreaking and career-launching arts criticism through community fundraising. From our staunchest readers to newest fans, our wide circle of friends help to make The Pantograph Punch potent and possible.

As a Pal, you contribute directly to livable salaries for staff members, fair writers fees, and furthering our editorial vision. We want to keep transforming our model, sharpening our skill set and experimenting with different editorial and social offerings to bring you the very best coverage across art forms in Aotearoa and, with your support, build the platforms and critical discussions that make a place in this country for writers and artists alike to thrive. Not just survive, as we have been doing so often lately.

Our Editorial Vision

  • Sustaining and developing the practice of diverse writers, across all levels of their careers: amplifying the voices of our cultural powerhouses, and supporting new writers with their very first publishing experiences.
  • Making the news, not breaking the news: commissioning deeper investigative pieces that meaningfully contribute to national conversations and to global arts discourse.
  • Contributing to making the arts ecology in Aotearoa more sustainable and rewarding for practitioners.
  • Continuing to safekeep and document a broad range of artistic practices in Aotearoa, which are easy to lose to history if they’re not actively being recorded.
  • Deepening our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in meaningful ways, for example continuing to centre Māori voices and conversations on ngā toi Māori, and increasing te reo kupu on our website.
  • Producing beautiful content: we’re an arts journal and this should be reflected in our own art and writing!

Support Our Team

Nourishing Arts Criticism

Arts Criticism: Important and Underfunded AF

Arts and culture are vital for the health, life and economy of a country. A flourishing arts sector encourages social cohesion, community empowerment and self-determination, and helps to build (and dissect) our national identity. A flourishing arts sector is good for everybody, but requires healthy, independent spaces for conversation and the scrutiny of arts journalism to flourish.

Arts criticism in Aotearoa has a precarious existence and a threatened future. It’s pivotal for the examination of life in Aotearoa (how we live, the price of our groceries, what we as a society value), but sits at the intersection of multiple areas – education, creativity and critical thinking – that have long been underfunded and devalued, and hit hard by the impacts of Covid-19 and austerity cuts. This has made the existence of platforms tough to sustain, with so many journals like ours dependent on the blood, sweat and tears of volunteer labour to get by. We’d love for the public that reads us to support us financially, to help us do the best for our sector and build a thriving and colourful future for arts criticism in Aotearoa.

Despite the strain, we stay true to our values. On our platform, you’ll never be bombarded with advertisements, or have great essays hidden behind a paywall: we keep our site ad-free, and our content freely available to anyone with an internet connection.

Nourishing Critical Voices

The Pantograph Punch exists in a publishing and media landscape, here and the world over, that has long been dominated by a certain type of voice (cough cough) and has systematically excluded the voices of others. For us it’s not just about providing a seat at the table, but making a distinct space for the culturally rich variety of voices that make up our arts community, that reflect and matter to us, and you.

We sustain our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with a strong focus on ringatoi and kaituhi Māori – last year, over 30% of our contributions were by Māori and 80% of total publishing was by BIPOC. Over the last decade, we’ve published over 500 unique contributors, some for the very first time in their careers. From as little as a cup of coffee a month, with Pals you can join us to increase our mission to amplify voices that have been excluded from the mainstream, and enable nuanced inter-community discussions to exist.

Giving and Receiving, Baby!

Here’s what we’re hoping to raise in 2023:

$15,000:

  • Keeps our lights on
  • Sustains staff at current level
  • Sustains pay rates for writers

$25,000:

  • Keeps us growing
  • Office / desk rental for staff
  • Our writers’ fees increase to match the living wage
  • Increase in fair pay and hours for our part-time staff

$40,000 and above:

  • Keeps us dreaming
  • Residency / scholarship fully funded by our Pals
  • Special projects, e.g., podcasts, events and audiovisual content
  • A secure and equitable future, e.g., KiwiSaver for all contractors

What Do You Support?

  • Through becoming a Pantograph Pal, your donations directly support:
  • Commissioned contributions from new voices
  • Higher fees for our contributors
  • Fair pay for staff members
  • A bright and independent editorial vision
  • Special development opportunities funded entirely through Pals e.g., residencies and scholarships for writers

In return for your support, you’ll receive:

  • Our sincere love and gratitude for believing in us and being part of our inner circle
  • Dedicated quarterly newsletters written by the Pantograph team
  • Occasional surprises in the mail
  • Discount codes to our and our partners’ merch and events
  • Invitations to special events
  • Acknowledgement of support on our website
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“Pantograph Punch holds an incredibly unique position in our ecology; it sits at the nexus and weaves artforms and arts communities together through the written word. There is no other publication out there quite like it – it is of the community and for it.”

Cat Ruka,
Executive Director of Basement Theatre

"I love working with the team at Pantograph Punch, thank you for the freedom to write about topics I care about, and for your support to craft great writing"

2022 Writer Feedback [Anonymous]

“I went into my role with no previous editing experience, but with the trust of the Director, the board, and a vision. I was nurtured by my team, and I learned so much, growing confidence and skills in publishing. The aroha that was shown to me, the space to flex my creativity, to try new things, to make mistakes, to grow, to succeed, has made a lasting impression on me. I 100% believe that Pantograph Punch is a space that nurtures artists, writers, editors and leaders in Aotearoa.”

Faith Wilson, former Co-Editor, Founder of Saufo'i Press

"The Pantograph Punch provides perspectives that are hard to come by in traditional media. It makes you appreciate what is happening on our shores, and to learn how people in Aotearoa are navigating individual and shared identities."

"I like that there is always a new voice. I've learnt so much about the arts in Aotearoa from The Pantograph Punch. I love the mix of reviews, art essays and interviews."

2022 Reader Feedback [Anonymous]

"I learned editing entirely on the job through the professional development and mentorship provided – an actual creative apprenticeship model. I can now confidently say I'm not only an editor; I'm a skilled editor who's worked with writers, creatives and artists across the motu. I'm really grateful to The Pantograph Punch as an organisation for facilitating this for me, awakening latent abilities and skills I would never have thought were there."

Ataria Sharman,
Former Kaiwāwahi | Editor, Founder of Awa Wahine

"In the grand scheme of things – and at their best – artists and critics form a kind of collab. Together they hammer at the boundaries of how we think, feel, relate."

"It's not a stretch to say I've spent 60+ hours writing some pieces. I've worked as a curator, public programmer, editor and a writer... of these, writing is the most underpaid, and the only one where – like being an artist – the exploitation sometimes feels built in. But I do feel like this is changing. I've noticed a dramatic improvement, not just in fees offered, but also recognition of the work that goes into producing a piece of writing".

K. Emma Ng, Writer and Curator

"That's what criticism is: analysis that is critical, urgent and necessary. I say this because criticism is a skilful act, so while I know that the arts and cultural sector benefits from that analysis, those skills can be used everywhere. I say it is necessary because those skills enable us to read and interpret the world around us which is crucial in this turbulent world we live in."

Matariki Williams, Writer, Curator and Historian

Huge thanks to our Pals

Huge thanks to those who’ve made our work possible across the last decade, including our core funders, grant providers, donors and partners, and now our mighty Pals.

We’re incredibly proud to have you on this journey with us and can’t wait to share the impact that our Pals will make.

Adam, Pip
ĀKINA Gallery
Anderson-O'Connor, Aimee
Andrews, Nicola
Anga'aelangi, Taualofa
Apiata, Ammon
Auckland Pride
Asafo, Dylan
Barnes, Emma
Barnett, Cassandra
Bear, Johanna
Blakie, Lisa
Boraston, Tessa
Bou, Bunty
Buchanan, Tehani
Burke, Erica
Burgess, Hana
Breslin, Liz
Brown, Kitty
Brown, Pelenakeke
Borrie, Ella
Bowatte, Dinithi
Cambronero, Jinki
Campbell, Malory
Cheng, Samantha
Chung, Cadence
Cooke, Francis
Crofskey, Vanessa Mei
Cropper, Anya
Crowe, Deborah
Daellenbach, Sophia
dair, Wil
Davida Jane, Ash
Dawson-Hewes, Rosie
Deng, Carolyn
Dickson, Jordan
dissanayake, romesh
Dodd, Leah
dollimore, sam
Doyle, Charlotte
Dunn, Kirsty
Easby, Amber
Ellingham, Vanessa
Essuah, India
Florence, Chelsie
Fountain, Tate
Frame, Kirsty
Freegard, Janis
Galbraith, Heather
Garcia-Purves, Leah
Gaudin, Mia
Giwa, Dee
Gnanalingam, Brannavan
Goodall, Adam
Gordon, Caleb
Greive, Duncan
Groufsky, Jane
Haami, Meri
Hamilton, Melanie
Hansen, Will
Harrington, Erin
Harris, Claire
Hawkes, Rebecca
Hawkins, Aaron
Hereaka, Whiti
Hiini, Kaan
Hislop, Emma
HOEA! Gallery
Howie, M.
Hu, Karen
Hutchinson, Fran
Irwin-Jones, Abby
James, Annie
Jansen, Dieneke
Jean, Ailish
Jiang, Arela
Joe, Nathan
Johnson, Irene
Johnston, Courtney
Katki, Areez
Kean, Martin
Keel, Riley
Kelly, Madison
Keyzer, Jordan
Kilkelly, Helena–Jane
Kino, Shilo
Kutia, Kahu
Kumar, Divyaa
Kelly-Costello, Áine
Lagi-Maama Ltd
Lardies, Gabi
Laville-Moore, Melanie
Lee, Bonnie
Lee, Kerry Ann
Lee, Nahyeon
Lee, Rozana
Le Harivel, Kirsten
Levi, Damien
Likio, Simonne
Lim, Jessica
Lopesi, Lana
Love, Maya
Lu, Hanna
Luhia-Graham, Barbara
Mackenzie, Kyla
Madhan, Nisha
Matila-Smith, Natasha
Mark, Simon
McLean, Anna
McWhannell, Francis
Miller-Sharma, Emily
Millers, Jhana
Mills, Amie
Morrison-Middleton, Mya
Naomi, Rachael
Nasir, Hina
Nelson, Kerryanne
Oldham, Pip
O'Connor, Denis
O'Shea, Éamhín
Paky, Vira
Palalagi, Jessica
Park, Bobby Sung Hwan
Pārore Southon, Delilah
Paulsen-More, Nkhaya
Perkins, Emily
Pinckney, Jim
Prior, Kate
Payne, Ashleigh
Ranapiri, Essa May
Randerson, Janine
Rata, John
Read, Abbie
Redmond, Monique
Ritchie, Al
Robinson, Anna
Rogers–Scott, Jasmine
Rowe, Angela
Rowe, Maddi
Salisbury, Janelle
Samu Tui, Leone
Sciascia, Ana
Scott, Mandy
Sen, Lipika
Sharman, Ataria
Stephens, Joy
Stimler, Neil
Solly, Jane
T, Jordan
Tan, Rosabel
Tan, Yuk King
Tappenden, Alice
Taylor, George
Taylor, Jasmine
Te Atarua, Taylor
Teague, Stacey
Thomas, Reiana
Trow, Rachel
Tse, Chris
Tuiburelevu, Litia
Tulitua, Tamara
Usoali'i-Jansen, Kepe
Vincent, Laura
Walker, Steph
Wenley, James
Whare Aotearoa
Wilder, Gem
Willeam, Karissa
Williams, Tina
Wilson, Hannah Mary
Wilson, Faith
Winterburn, Jade
Wrightson, Jane
Wyatt, Briar
Xie, Flora
Yi, Emily
Zhan, Geneva
Zhang, Zephyr
Zhu, Julie

Illustration and concept design by
Haz Forrester

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The Pantograph Punch publishes urgent and vital cultural commentary by the most exciting new voices in Aotearoa.

The Pantograph Punch publishes urgent and vital cultural commentary by the most exciting new voices in Aotearoa.

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