Music Commission News

The New Zealand Music Commission is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend, mentor and erstwhile board member, Lorraine Barry.

Lorraine was the New Zealand Music Commission’s longest serving Board member, with a tenure of 15 years across two periods; the first of which started in 2004, not long after her arrival in Aotearoa. Lorraine re-joined the Board in 2012 and worked with the organisation through some significant changes before retiring her position last year. Her time on the Board is a testament to her unwavering commitment to giving back and passing on the hard fought knowledge she had gained across her career. Lorraine had a particular passion and focus on our international and export-focused programmes and the Industry Internship Programme which she was very proud to help bring to the world.

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Lorraine worked as a journalist before moving to London aged 24 and throwing herself into music. For 16 years she worked for Virgin Records in the UK, where she was eventually promoted to Director of International Marketing in 1997. In her time with Virgin, Lorraine worked with artists including Ice T, Massive Attack, Neneh Cherry, John Lee Hooker, Placebo, Gomez, The Verve, Chemical Brothers and the Spice Girls.

When she emigrated to New Zealand in 2002, Lorraine brought with her a wealth of musical knowledge and passion which she wasted no time in contributing to New Zealand’s music industry. Shortly after her arrival she began managing Sir Dave Dobbyn, a relationship that now spans over two decades. Through her company Lorraine Barry Management she has also been instrumental in managing and nurturing the careers of Tom Scott, Home Brew, Avantdale Bowling Club, VGB, Aiden Fine and others.

The Music Commission is hugely grateful for her commitment to our organisation and all the opportunities she helped inspire and bring to life in her time with us. We will miss her leadership, kindness, friendship and passion greatly. We are thinking of Ross, her whānau, friends and the artists she uplifted at this time. Moe mai rā e rangatira.