Geoffrey Blanks, of Auckland, ONZM for services to comedy
Scott Blanks helped found The Classic in Auckland, New Zealand’s first dedicated comedy club, and is considered the ‘Godfather of New Zealand comedy’. He is now The Classic’s sole director. The venue hosts more than 350 live shows a year, with tens of thousands of attendees. Mr Blanks is particularly dedicated to the development of new comedians, and launched the annual Raw Comedy Quest to search for the funniest new faces of the year. The Raw Comedy Quest has grown nationally, expanding to different cities and including comedians from around the country. Mr Blanks has attended The Classic’s weekly Raw open mic nearly every Monday since it opened, taking in more than 800 shows. He has helped mentor many of the successful rookies into careers as full-time professional comedians.