James is Arts & Culture Manager for Tauranga City Council. Originally from Maidenhead in South East England, James trained as a theatre director at Rose Bruford Drama School in Greenwich, South East London, and worked for a variety of arts venues in London, including the Lyric Hammersmith, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and The Orange Tree Theatre.
Arriving in Aotearoa in 2005, James worked as General Manager for Massive Theatre Company, prior to joining Q Theatre, first as Executive Producer and then as Chief Executive. Prior to his current role, James was Manager at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. James served on the executive board of the Performing Arts Network New Zealand (PANNZ), and co-chaired the organisation for four years. As part of his work with PANNZ, James was involved in the development and launch of NZ's National arts touring agency, 'TourMakers', and worked closely with the executive and management team of PANNZ to grow the annual arts market into a key event for festivals, producers and venues, both in NZ and Internationally.
James is a 2013 Alumni of the Leadership New Zealand programme, and currently serves as as a panel assessor for Creative New Zealand and the Creative Communities scheme.
James is passionate about creating opportunities for young and emerging artists to develop their craft and bring their stories to wider audiences. He is an advocate for the arts in all forms and it's ability to bring communities together.
