Ziggy Ziya: Rock n' Roll and a Generous Soul

Ziggy Ziya is co-owner of Wellington’s iconic live music and comedy venue, San Fran. Along with business partner Tim Ward, the San Fran crew are huge fans of One Percent Collective and have provided support for us and other community groups and nonprofits in many ways. Ziggy is also a volunteer food sorter with our partner charity, Kaibosh.

I grew up in Lyall Bay in Wellington. I loved the area and still do. The rugged coast changes daily with tides and swells. I became a very keen surfer and would get into the water as much as possible. 

We lived in a new state housing development. It was a blue collar area and there were a lot of people who had fallen through the cracks who would come and go as neighbours. This was my earliest memory of doing what you can to help those less fortunate, be supportive and help people through their struggle if you can.

As kids we would do regular bottle runs around Lyall bay and Wellington’s eastern suburbs. We would get coins for recycled fizzy bottles and cash them in for local causes, community centres and Lyall Bay surf club.

As I went through college studying social work I really found my path in wanting to help others. I found that a lot of school mates struggled with all sorts of issues and it made me dejected to see them this way. If I could make a difference I would try to – phone chats all night, pinball sessions, mountain bike rides. It made me feel better to know they got something from us just hanging out.

After college I worked part-time and volunteered with social services doing day programs and mentoring juveniles to help them through issues they were experiencing.

It was hard to make a living or get full-time employment in social work so hospitality hours took over. I went from security, to stage-managing large shows, to running sold-out club nights, to becoming an owner. I worked my way up and loved learning it all right from the bottom. I still did some events with social work and organisations when time permitted.

Now I book, run and organise San Fran’s local, national and international gigs. San Fran is not only a place for people to hear their favourite bands, see comedians, and hang out with their mates – it’s a community hub for collectives such as Eye Gum Music and we do a number of fundraising events for local organisations such as Kaibosh and SpinningTop. Wellington-based givers have possibly attended a One Percent Collective event at San Fran.

That generosity comes from our own values, our ability to help others, and to let organisations use the space to help their own causes. We are a community hub, and we will always be here to help organisations when we can. 

Longevity in a business like ours relies heavily on relationships and helping each other. Myself and Tim are grafters. We both enjoy being part of events that can help groups who are less fortunate.

I joined the Kaibosh crew 9 months ago as a volunteer food sorter. Matt Dagger runs the local Kaibosh HQ and I've known him for a number of years. It was something I had wanted to do for a while. I liked the idea of it being local. I really enjoy getting in there and getting stuck in to sorting out the generous amounts of produce that comes in from local organisations.

The camaraderie among the team is awesome. I’m thankful to be a part of Kaibosh. It gives me a sense of giving back, and has taught me a lot about how much food we actually waste, and how others can benefit from that. Zero food waste and zero food poverty is Kaibosh's goal. They’re a link between the food industry and people in need. 

Kaibosh has helped me to realise how many people are in need in Wellington city and how much it is needed as an organisation. Kaibosh is not just in Wellington. They’re in Hutt Valley and Kapiti now too.

I have seen the delight on the recipients faces when dropping off large amounts of food products to the organisations in need. It's an awesome experience made possible by the donors. Delivering to the night shelter and getting a high five from one of the crew was a happy morale boost for both of us. It’s a memory I cherish. If we all give some time to help others less fortunate, then in some way, we all benefit.

– As told to Ben Woodward.