Music Commission News

Each month, we’ll be featuring some members of our music community taking part in both our Industry Internship Programme and Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme.

This month, we’d like for you to meet Rafael Hosking and Kim Halliday. Raf has recently finished his internship at Meow Nui in Te Whanganui-a-Tara under our Industry Internship Programme. We also spoke with multi-instrumentalist and veteran Mentor Kim Halliday who has been mentoring under our Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme for over two decades.

Our 18 interns under the 2025 Industry Internship Programme have now completed their respective internships. Information on the 2026 Industry Internship Programme including Host Organisation Applications and Internship Applications will be coming in coming in the next few months. For any Industry Internship Programme queries, please contact our team at internships@nzmusic.org.nz 

MEET THE INTERN: RAF

What’s your name and your internship position?
Kia ora, I’m Raf — I was the 2025 booking and events intern at Meow Nui, in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Outside of your internship, what other things do you get up to?
I play in (a lot of) bands around Wellington! My main group is a band called Caught Inside, but I also play with other artists like Fruit Loops and Voyants, as well as my own jazz-adjacent project Slow Jazz Ensemble. Alongside this, I write music for orchestra and chamber groups, and I write the occasional music review.

What’s something you have learnt through your internship?
I have learnt so much during my time at Meow Nui! So much of this has been technical skills, but maybe what’s been the most significant takeaway from this experience has been understanding the role of music venues in growing local music scenes.

What have you enjoyed the most about your internship?
I’ve really enjoyed seeing the impact that Meow Nui has had on the Wellington music scene. It’s only been open since November last year, but already it has become a staple venue for international touring acts and one is beloved by Wellington music fans and musicians!

Photo credit: Camden Jackson

MEET THE MENTOR: KIM

What’s your name and how long have you been involved with the NZMC Mentoring in Schools Programme?
My name is Kim Halliday (she/her) and I have been involved with the NZMC Musicians Mentoring in Schools programme for over 20 years.

How are you connected to music?
I was brought up in a Polynesian household, where music was played by my parents and aunties and uncles all the time… I started learning to play guitar when I was 9 and have loved music ever since…

Do you have any musical projects and/or are you involved in other ways?
I have been involved in over 40 musical projects and at the moment I’m involved in a guitar orchestra called Gitbox Rebellion, playing guitar for singer songwriter Eden Iris, and currently writing a solo guitar album.

What do you enjoy most about the Programme?
I love seeing the students excited about their compositions, and helping to find ways to navigate different ideas around songs and adding colours to ideas that are being formed in real time…also seeing the huge amount of talent we have in Aotearoa.

What is one of your favourite mentoring memories or moments from the Programme?
One of my favourite moments of mentoring was when I went to support students I mentored at Dargaville High school at Tangata Beats, I was super proud of their achievements, as I am with all students I mentor who excel and embrace their musical gifts.

What aspect of the Programme are you most excited about this year?
So far I have loved mentoring Auckland Girls Grammar and St Mary’s in Auckland over the last month, however I’m off down to the deep South next week and I’m looking forward to hearing what the students are composing and their ideas from a totally different demographic in Aotearoa.