Joost is co-director of Bigpop - a resourceful ‘umbrella’ company assisting creatives realise their artistic dreams and aspirations, and providing viable pathways to enable artists to share their art with the world. Bigpop’s activities include A&R, music publishing, label services, music production and operating music/sound recording studio facilities.

Meet CHAII, the dynamic artist who's not only making waves as a music artist, but also as a talented producer, audio engineer, and creative director.

Brooke Tyson began her eponymous label in 2008, which has since evolved into designing mainly bespoke for artists alongside her ceremonial label Brooke Tyson Ritual. Known for her bold and playful use of prints and colour and deep understanding of human form, collaborating and designing for other creatives is a perfect fit for the label.

Frank Eliesa, also known by his professional name Frank Keys, is a New Zealand Samoan record producer, songwriter and performer. He has worked with numerous award-winning artists and musicians in New Zealand, including Avantdale Bowling Club, Haz & Miloux, CHAII and Yoko-Zuna. His music has been featured in various syncs in TV shows, films, gaming and other media, including Ms. Marvel, Inventing Anna, and the F1 and FIFA games, among others.

Abe Mora is a tradesman turned freelance filmmaker/photographer, specialising in the content creation for musicians and the creative sector in general. My work has taken me around the globe to over 20 countries, and being able to work along side names such as Parris Goebel , Ciara, Stan Walker, Rob Ruha, Troy Kingi, Louis baker, Chaii and Tami Neilson to name a few. 

I’m an audio/video producer with over 500 credits, including contributions as a musician, audio engineer, video editor, VFX artist and DOP. Producing work from my own production house, Rockwell Studios for over 15 years I have had the good fortune to collaborate with a huge swath of local and overseas artists/producers.

Rachel Ashby is a broadcaster, music journalist and arts writer based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. She has been the host of the 95bFM Breakfast show since 2019, and previously hosted the dedicated arts and culture show ‘Artbank’. Rachel is passionate about accessibility and equity in music spaces, and is a facilitator and kaitiaki member for the youth empowerment organisation Girls Rock Aotearoa. 

Bianca is a Te Whanganui-a-Tara based event producer, musician, and songwriter. In recent years she’s been working for Creative Capital Arts Trust as the Music and Festival Producer for CubaDupaand Classical on Cuba. Previously she has also worked on Auckland Folk Festival (2016-2023) as well as Eyegum Music Collective’s Welcome To Nowhere (2020 -2023) in various different capacities.

Half/Time is a te ao Māori centred post-punk act started by Kirikiriroa based musician Wairehu Grant (NgātiManiapoto) in 2020. Originally a solo act utilising drum machines and samples along with guitar and shouty vocals, Half/Time has now evolved into a three-piece act featuring Tāmaki Makaurau based musicians and DIY legends Ciara Bernstein on drums, and Cee (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) on bass guitar and vocals. The kaupapa of Half/Time is one born out of the intergenerational resilience of Māori in Aotearoa.

Leea is a passionate musician with particular interest in the weird and wonderful things the voice can do. She teaches both professional artists and beginners all across Tāmaki Makaurau, finding joy in helping others find their voice. Leea is also the heavily involved in the Girls Rock! Community and is currently the head organiser for the To The Front Tāmaki Makaurau Programme.

Dave Borrie is the Programme Director at Radio One 91FM, and lead bass player of L. Hotel.  He started his journey in Student Media in 2016 as a volunteer DJ hosting various shows across the schedule, while finishing up a Master's Degree in Physical Geography.  He promptly put this degree to use when he was hired at Radio One 91FM.

Anna is SoundCheck Aotearoa’s Project Manager, working across community outreach and collaboration, and leading an 18-month project funded by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, setting up a Sexual Harm Prevention and Response Advisor role for the NZ music community and working alongside the Māori Music Industry Coalition on a broader Te Ao Māori project.

Ninakaye has managed her younger brother, high-profile artist and producer Tiki Taane, as well as his companies, trust, and record label since 2007. She mentors managers and artists via the  Music Managers Forum Aotearoa and is also a Board Member, as well as a Board Member of Soundcheck Aotearoa. An executive member of the Māori Music Industry Coalition, Ninakaye is hugely proactive about creating positive change within the Aotearoa Music Industry and community.

Rachel Harrison comes from the Coromandel Peninsula and currently lives in Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington) and works with organisations and communities across Aotearoa to help prevent sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic violence and child abuse.

Mel was born, grew up and lives in Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington). She is Pākehā and in October 2022, made the leap to self employment. The primary focus of her work is working alongside communities and organisations as they seek to both respond well and prevent all forms of sexual harm including sexual harassment in workplaces and child sexual abuse.

If it was released in the last twenty years, there's a middling chance that someone within the media of Aotearoa may have allowed Sarah to: programme the music video; introduce the live-to-air; write inches about the album; playlist the single; and/or interview the bass player. Sorry about that. With a background that includes stints in music television, screenwriting, radio programming, music journalism and television puppetry, Sarah is currently the Music Funding Advisor at NZ On Air.

MISSY (aka writer-producer Abigail Knudson) delivers a distinctive, idiosyncratic blend of electro-baroque goth-pop. As one reviewer commented: “If Kate Bush and Brian Eno had a baby, it would be MISSY.” MISSY has released three albums to date: 2022’s Total Nightmare, and the twin-album release, Major Arcana and Minor Arcana (2021). The albums follow-up her critically acclaimed EP (Strange, 2019). She regularly features on Spotify editorial playlists, and the single Dark Side is currently the most popular with Spotify listeners with over 700,000 streams.

Anna is a firm leader who worked in film and television for almost a decade, in both NYC and Auckland. Anna has written and directed several short films including PAIN screened as part of 2020 NZIFF‚ NZ Best’s Programme, and MUM JEANS which screened at the 2018 NZIFF. PAIN has gone on to be selected at Busan International Film Festival, AspenShorts, Stockholm International Film Festival and Bogot√° Short Film Festival.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Reshma followed her roots to kick-start her creative pursuits and quickly made a splash in the country of over 32 million, appearing as a teenager in the final season of hit Malaysian reality singing competition, "Akademi Fantasia", in which she placed third. She was the only female minority representing her ethnic group to ever compete on the show in its 13-season entirety, and became a figurehead of unity and change in the local entertainment industry.

Currently the Studio & Venue Production Manager at Big Fan, Noema is a multi-skilled music specialist with extensive experience as a tertiary lecturer, music producer, audio engineer, songwriter, music director and performer.

Mazbou Q is a UK-born, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) based Nigerian artist, producer, content creator and educator. Stemming from his background in classical, heavy metal and West African Highlife, Mazbou Q's particular brand of Hiphop pushes the boundaries of the genre and captivates those with a deep appreciation for musicality. Mazbou Q takes inspiration from the likes of Fela Kuti, The Roots and Black Star as he confronts his listeners with socio-political commentary and creatively engages them in the complexities of his unique cultural identity.

Emily Wheatcroft-Snape is an audio engineer and music producer from TāmakiMakaurau. Emily studied a Bachelor of Audio Engineering and Music Production at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand before working at Roundhead Studios for 3 years. Emily now works freelance out of Parachute Studios, while working for-hire at Roundhead Studios, Parachute Studios, and Big Fan Studios.

Tamaki Makaurau-based artist Louisa Nicklin is a performer who transcends the singer-songwriter label. Louisa makes deeply honest music, influenced by her classical background, which is both confronting and ethereal. An avid performer, both solo and with local talents Eamon Edmundson-Wells and Mason Fairey, she is now gearing up for the release of her second album following the success of her debut in 2021.

Joel Tashkoff is an entertainment lawyer at specialist entertainment law firm Dominion Law. His specialty lies in music and his practice includes a strong focus on contractual issues surrounding copyright and IP, music publishing, licensing, producer deals, management agreements, and recording contracts. His clients include a range of managers, producers independent labels and artists that are active at all levels of the industry, from Grammy-winners and Billboard chart toppers, to those just starting out.