Our Story

Auckland Zinefest is a celebration of creativity and self-publishing, based in Tāmaki-makau-rau / Auckland City, Aotearoa. We’re a local hub for zine culture, organising community events and activities that share and support DIY-publishing in Auckland and beyond.

Our biggest event is the annual Zinefest, where scores of zinemakers gather together to share their work, inspire others, and connect with fellow zinemakers and creatives. The events of 2020 have presented us with an opportunity to expand further into the digital realm with our first Zinefest Online, creating new opportunities to connect with the zine community across New Zealand and the world.

We’re a non-profit community group run by volunteers, local zinemakers and creatives. Our first event was in 2009 and - thanks to our volunteers and funding from generous organisations who are keen to get behind the arts - we’ve been running community events and activities since.

So… what’s a zine?

zine (/ziːn/ ZEEN) noun; short for magazine or fanzine; a self-published, small circulation work of original or borrowed texts and graphics 

Zines are all about expression and creativity. They can be about anything and take any form, though normally have a pamphlet or booklet style as a basic ‘template’. They come in all shapes and sizes.

They may be made to share a niche skill, share ideas, develop a story, develop identity, or for pure entertainment and delight. Some of the forms and styles of zines often include collage, comic, art, literary, photography, perzines (personal zines), informative, single-page folded, and DIY.