: Photo l. to r. Giora Seeliger (Artistic Director RED NOSES Clowndoctors), Prof. Dr. Thomas Petschner (Medical doctor and founder CLOWN DOCTORS New Zealand Charitable Trust), Gary Edwards (Managing Director RED NOSES Czech Republic and Slovakia).

RED NOSES International exports clowndoctors to New Zealand

After successfully exporting RED NOSES clown programmes to other European countries, a RED NOSES organisation has now also been established on the other side of the globe - in New Zealand! This 7th RED NOSES International partner organisation will also profit from the synergies based on vast international experience in clown care work.

The CLOWN DOCTORS New Zealand Charitable Trust* was set up with the initiative of German born Prof. Dr. Thomas Petschner, an expert in integral diagnosis and prevention. Dr. Petschner got in touch with Monica Culen, Managing Director of RED NOSES Clowndoctors, in 2008, expressing the interest in becoming a part of the international group. "It was clear right from the beginning," Petschner explains, "that the main hospitals wanted to cooperate most likely with the largest European clown organisation, as they simply have an amazing amount of know-how after 15 years of experience in clown care work, not to mention the network of wonderful clown teachers at their disposal."

Dr. Petschner, devoted to the topic of humour in therapy, wants to spread humour and the joy of life in New Zealand, making these concepts more accessible to primarily young and old patients. After a few months of preparatory work, the CLOWN DOCTORS New Zealand Charitable Trust was officially founded in Christchurch on 24^th July 2009 and became an Associate Partner of the RNI group.

For three weeks Giora Seeliger (Artistic Director of RED NOSES and Director of the International School of Humour) and Gary Edwards (Founder and Director of RED NOSES in the Czech Republic and Slovakia) held auditions and trained the new team of eight clowns. They were the first to bring the art of therapeutic hospital clowning to New Zealand! "With Giora and Gary, we have highly experienced teachers who are very capable of establishing a professional clown team on the other side of the world," Monica Culen said very proudly.

On 1^st September 2009 the new programme took off to a good start in the Paediatric and Children's Oncology departments of the Christchurch Hospital and the Older Persons departments in the Princess Margaret Hospital. Their Auckland counterparts hope to begin their rounds in Starship and Middlemore Hospitals by December.

RED NOSES Clowndoctors International is really excited to have been able to spread good cheer all the way Down Under and welcomes the new team!