Spotlight on Te Whitinga Oro

Tiaki much prefers doing music over the school holidays to staying at home.

The only Year 13 in the Create programme in Kaikohe up in the Far North, not only is he playing music and singing, but he’s also taken up a leadership role directing some of the younger participants, aged eleven to seventeen. 

“It’s really great seeing everyone get together,” he says. He’s studying music at school, focusing on voice. In Create, however, he likes bucket drumming the most, and he’s learned a lot about how everything has a rhythm and a beat.

“My mum is one of the best guitarists in Northland,” he says proudly. She’s the one who’s been bringing him to the programme every day. 

“The closer I get to the concert [at the end of the programme], the more nervous I get,” he admits, “but I’m also excited to show my mum what I learned and what I can do.” 

Create is one of the initiatives in Te Whitinga Oro, Chamber Music New Zealand’s community engagement programme.

Diverging from traditional ideas about music outreach or community programmes, Te Whitinga Oro puts the focus on the communities and the participants – shining a light on their creativity and talent, and providing a framework where music is the tool that enhances well-being, strengthens relationships, and builds confidence. 

“It’s about creativity, connectivity, and perhaps discovering a passion the participants might not have known about, and realising that they are creative,” says Cathy Irons, Te Whitinga Oro Artist and Coordinator. 

“They get a chance to ‘hang’ with their peers and experience bonding through music. In Create, everyone can be inspired and challenged at their own level. When you play music together, every person is important, no matter your skill or level. I hope this experience will enable them to continue supporting each other even after the programme is finished.

“It’s also an opportunity for whānau to form relationships with each other through celebrating what their rangatahi have created.” 

"When you play music together, every person is important, no matter your skill or level. I hope this experience will enable them to continue supporting each other even after the programme is finished."

Cathy Irons
Te Whitinga Oro Artist and Coordinator

Te Whitinga Oro spans a broad range of programmes for our diverse communities. Create, in partnership with Yellow Brick Road, is a programme for rangatahi in underserved areas in the Far North. 

Other initiatives include The Big I, focused on showcasing the creativity and talent of young people living with disabilities, masterclasses and workshops for community musicians looking to improve their skill on their instruments, residencies at schools with music projects that tap into pupils’ creativity and allow them to express themselves, and, of course the annual NZCT Chamber Music Contest, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025. 

The name, Te Whitinga Oro, was gifted to CMNZ by Johnson McKay (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, me Ngāti Mahuta) and Ruihana Te Hanu (Te Arawa, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti Porou), to highlight the collective spaces where communities gather to share their unique expression and musicality in an exchange of ideas and experiences. It also celebrates the power of music to express identity and strengthen relationships. 

"It’s amazing to see the students have a go at everything and their freedom of [expressing] how they feel and doing things they’ve never done before, and to be supported in that."

Lee Healey
Teacher Aide, Awatapu College

While learning new music skills is a core part of Te Whitinga Oro, that’s not the only purpose. Much of it is about breaking down barriers – not just in terms of access to music, but also between different groups and communities.

“It’s amazing to see the students have a go at everything and their freedom of [expressing] how they feel and doing things they’ve never done before, and to be supported in that,” says Awatapu College (Palmerston North) teacher aide Lee Healey. Her students in the Te Pūmanawa special education unit took part in The Big I. “They’re all so talented.”

Awatapu music student Andrew, whose brother is in Te Pūmanawa, says the experience has “reinforced [his] belief of music being not just a creative tool but something to bring people together.”

Teachers have reported that pupils participating in Te Whitinga Oro programmes experienced better mood and behavioural outcomes, with one pupil who had been excluded from several other schools finding his passion for music and volunteering to help CMNZ tutors carry chairs and set up for the projects and performances. 

Another pupil who had experienced bullying at school blossomed during the CMNZ residency, using her lunch breaks to practice ukulele and enthusing about how much fun it was to play music with her friends and try new instruments.

"By collaborating closely with local leaders, artists, and organisations, we’re able to co-design initiatives that are meaningful, sustainable, and truly reflective of the people they serve."

Michelle Walsh
Chamber Music New Zealand CEO

Many of these programmes are established and evolve through long-standing partnerships with community groups, kura, and organisations like Yellow Brick Road, Music Education Tairāwhiti and Te Vaka Puoro Nui. 

“Te Whitinga Oro is an integral part of what we do at CMNZ, and we believe deeply that it should be guided by what communities need and value,” says Chief Executive Michelle Walsh. 

“To ensure we deliver the strongest possible programmes, we have committed to four key areas of focus: the Young Musicians Programme, the Disability Programme, the Communities Programme, and our Regional Partnerships.

“I believe our strength lies in working alongside the communities within these pillars. By collaborating closely with local leaders, artists, and organisations, we’re able to co-design initiatives that are meaningful, sustainable, and truly reflective of the people they serve.”