Emma Dewhurst — Studio Owner, Event Founder, Systems Operator

Resources

What I've learned,
written down.

Best value

Studio Reality Pack

The two things nobody tells you before you open a studio — who you become, and what it actually costs.

You're Good at Pole. That Has Nothing to Do With Running a Studio.
Someone Else's Rent

$59 NZD Save $19

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Or get one guide

You're Good at Pole. That Has Nothing to Do With Running a Studio.

$39 NZD

For the instructor thinking about signing a lease. What nobody tells you before you do.

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Someone Else's Rent

$39 NZD

For the owner who's in it and learning that passion doesn't pay wages unless the numbers work.

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I Learned It — Essay Series

I Learned It With Zip Ties

Free

What an odd job before high school taught me about pricing, value, and knowing your number before someone else names it for you.

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I Learned It at Camp

Free

What a lost seat in the Marlborough Sounds taught me about opportunity, hesitation, and why someone else will always be willing to move faster than you.

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Service

Need a brand that works without a designer on speed dial?

I'll build you a complete brand kit — logo, Canva templates, AI prompts — and hand it over so you can run it yourself. One upfront cost. No ongoing fees. No agency markup.

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About

Designer.
Founder.
Operator.

11+

Years Studio Owner

9+

Years Running Events

NZ

Based

14+

Years Design

I've spent 14+ years designing brands, 11+ years running studios, and nearly a decade producing pole events. I write about the parts people usually only learn after they've already signed something expensive.

I opened my first studio in Whanganui in 2014 — Pole Dance Wanganui, rebranded to Altitude in 2018. Palmerston North followed in 2020. I've been producing pole events to sell-out crowds in Whanganui and Palmerston North since 2017. That scaled into Dynasty Pole Competition in 2023 — a national event co-founded to raise the standard of competitive pole in New Zealand. Two nights, a packed audience, live-streamed to national and international viewers, with competitors and judges from NZ and Australia.

I run it all from Hamilton — remotely, with good people and tighter systems. Less about being in the room, more about building something that doesn't need me in it.

Businesses