Emails show council faced backlash over Amanda Palmer gig, endorsed cancellation

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

Amanda Palmer was scheduled to play on Waiheke Island in early January, but ultimately moved her show to mainland Auckland.

Auckland Council backed a decision to cancel a Waiheke Island concert by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer, with one senior media advisor calling it an “appropriate” step.

It followed public criticism directed at the Waiheke Local Board over its perceived involvement with the show, along with the risk of protest, emails obtained after an official information request showed.

The Post reported in January that Palmer, the former wife of fantasy author Neil Gaiman, had been left scrambling to find a venue for a one-off Auckland show at the start of the year.

Palmer, 49, who is half of the American cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, spent much of the Covid-19 period living in New Zealand - mainly on Waiheke Island - after being caught up in the lockdown while on tour.

Though she had embedded herself in the local community during the pandemic, some of that goodwill appears to have wavered after multiple abuse accusations made against Gaiman and claims that implicated her.

Gaiman has denied ever engaging in non-consensual sexual activity. Palmer has also denied the allegations against her. In February, the lawsuits filed against both Gaiman and Palmer in the United States were dismissed.

On her most recent visit to Waiheke Island, Palmer moved her solo piano show between two venues before eventually shifting it to a “secret” location on the mainland where it went ahead.

The show was originally scheduled for the Artworks Theatre, a Waiheke venue which lists the Waiheke Local Board as a sponsor.

Emails released to The Post under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show criticism was directed at the board for allowing the gig to go ahead at the council-supported venue.

One email asked how the board could “justify” being attached to the show, describing Palmer as having been “implicated” in allegations of sexual assault.

Another expressed “deep concern” at the show going ahead. “Many in the arts community and beyond are grappling with what these allegations mean for institutions that choose to platform individuals associated with them,” the email said.

Another critic was upset at the possibility of any ratepayer funds being used to support the show, adding: “shame on whoever thought this was a good idea.”

After receiving these emails, the Waiheke Local Board’s area manager Janine Geddes informed the Artworks Theatre manager Kara Veugelers that a “few complaints” had been sent in.

“There is concern that council/local board funds and promotion are involved in the show,” wrote Geddes. “There is also talk of a protest at the Theatre.”

Waiheke’s Artworks Theatre was asked to consider complaints about a planned gig by singer Amanda Palmer.

Geddes wrote that she understood the board had not given specific funding for the show, but did provide “operational funding support” for the theatre.

Theatre management was asked to consider the complaints - which were also circulating on Reddit and Facebook - and any “risk mitigation” that may be required.

One Auckland Council staffer said of the theatre: “I really think they should cancel it but is that a decision the board can influence?”

Another said: “It looks like this is escalating”.

Within 24 hours of the complaints being received, Artworks informed the council that the show was being cancelled.

Auckland Council’s principal media advisor Drew Broadley, who had been looped into the concerns in case an official response was needed, described the event’s cancellation as the “appropriate step” on the basis of community feedback and the show “not being aligned to the values of the theatre”.

In January, Waiheke Local Board chair Kylee Matthews told The Post that the venue operated independently of council and claimed “Amanda herself” cancelled the gig. Matthews also said she didn’t receive any messages directly about the show taking place, though the emails released to The Post show the local board was looped in on complaints and discussions around the cancellation.

Matthews also instructed a staff member to provide “no comment” after being approached by The Post in January, another email showed.

On Monday, Matthews told The Post: “I did not receive any emails that were not addressed to me or any that were addressed to the local board.”

Palmer’s gig was later moved to another Waiheke Island theatre, Morra Hall, though this was also cancelled. It was eventually held at the Button Factory in central Auckland.

In 2024, Gaiman was accused of sexual assault and abuse by five women after an investigation by the British news website Tortoise.

One complainant, Scarlett Pavlovich, was a former nanny of Gaiman and Palmer who worked for the couple during their time in New Zealand.

In a 2025 lawsuit, Pavlovich accused Palmer of “procuring and presenting” her to Gaiman.

The lawsuit, which has since been thrown out, stated that Palmer “knowingly approached and procured the services of Scarlett with reckless disregard for the fact that Gaiman would force Scarlett to engage in commercial sex acts” with him.

“I am relieved that Ms Pavlovich’s case against me has been dismissed,” Palmer said in a brief statement last month.