The Festival has grown significantly since the merger in 1984 of the Auckland International Film Festival (founded in 1969) and the Wellington Film Festival (founded 1972). The Festival is operated by the New Zealand Film Festival Trust, a charitable trust established in 1996, and based in Wellington. In 2009, for the first time, the Festival did away with its various regional names and united the various festivals under the banner of the New Zealand International Film Festival (and using the abbreviation 'NZIFF'). Until then, each region had been promoted with the region’s name despite their having shared a common programme and artwork since 2002. The festival has a long tradition of supporting New Zealand filmmakers and New Zealand cinema.