Moderator: Cushla Aston
Cushla Aston, of Tainui and Te Arawa descent, is the founder of Aston Rd, a boutique Artist Management company managing Louis Baker, alongside music management consultation and special projects. With an extensive history in marketing and sales in the events and hospitality sector, both in New Zealand and the UK, her transition into the music industry was a natural extension of her skills. Since joining the NZ Music industry in 2011 after a decade in the UK, she has worked with notable New Zealand artists such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Julia Deans, Kora and Trinity Roots. In 2012 Cushla won ‘Upcoming Manager of the Year’ and was a finalist for ‘Manager of the Year’ in 2015 and 2021.
Management
Cushla Aston, of Tainui and Te Arawa descent, is the founder of Aston Rd, a boutique Artist Management company managing Louis Baker, alongside music management consultation and special projects.
With an extensive history in marketing and sales in the events and hospitality sector, both in New Zealand and the UK, her transition into the music industry was a natural extension of her skills.
Since joining the NZ Music industry in 2011 after a decade in the UK, she has worked with notable New Zealand artists such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Julia Deans, Kora and Trinity Roots.
In 2012 Cushla won ‘Upcoming Manager of the Year’ and was a finalist for ‘Manager of the Year’ in 2015 and 2021.
Cushla is an active participant in the New Zealand Music Industry. She is the Chair Person and mentor for the MMF Aotearoa, a mentor for Te Māngai Pāho funded musicians and Senior Lecturer at Massey University delivering the paper for Artist Development, Bachelor of Commercial Music.
Collectively Aston Rd’s clients have been winners and finalists for the APRA Silver Scroll awards, NZ Music Critics Choice awards and Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards. They have toured in the UK, Europe, Polynesia, South Africa and Australia, and have achieved independent debut album releases charting within the top ten New Zealand album charts.
Moderator: Sarah Thomson
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.
Funding Advisor, NZ ON Air
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.
NB: You may know Lorde's cousin, but Sarah's mates with Big Bird.
Abigail Knudson
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.
Artist MISSY, Producer
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.
Hailing from a musical upbringing in Dunedin, New Zealand (her mother is Choir Director for Knox Church, her uncle Todd Knudson is drummer for the legendary indie band The Chills), Abigail moved to NZ’s music capital of Auckland and quickly established herself as both an electric performer and a talented producer/composer/writer.
Abigail has been a producer-participant at Mind Your Music’s Aotearoa Sync-Posium (Auckland, 2021 and 2023), a producer-facilitator at APRA (writer PRO) Songhubs The Tower (Sydney, 2021), Songhubs Auckland (2020), and Songhubs Dunedin (2022); a writer-producer participant at the all-female Songhubs Spheres (Auckland, 2018), a producer participant at the Aotearoa Music Producer Series 2018, and an artist participant at the same event in 2019 working alongside 3-time Grammy winner Andrew Scheps. She also sits on the artist advisory boards of SAE Media Institute and the Music Producers Guild NZ.
“As a producer, I find that nurturing confidence is a crucial part of my work, especially with younger musicians. Letting them know they can take charge, explore sounds and styles & discover for themselves what fits into their world, and how not to get dominated others opinions.”
Ninakaye Taane-Tinorau
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.
Artist Manager, SoundCheck Aotearoa
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.
Outside of the music industry, Ninakaye is one of only five certified Kemetic Yoga instructors in Aotearoa, as well as a part-time Harmful Sexual Behaviour Specialist for Auckland-based Korowai Tūmanako. With an extensive wealth of experience and qualifications across the Public Health, Event Management, Film & TV and Fitness industry’s, it is her colourful personal life’s journey that she credits as her most profound school of knowledge and learning. A resilient mother and grandmother, as well as a recovered stripper and drug / alcohol addict, her huge passion for life, love, people and community wellbeing is both undeniable and contagious.
Anna Duckworth
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.
Film Maker, Director
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.
Anna directed comedy webseries PSUSY S2, which screened at numerous festivals and won Best Episodic Jury Prize at the 2018 LA Film Festival.
Anna was selected to take part in the DEGNZ Women Filmmakers Incubator and the NZAPG Commercial Directing Mentorship. In 2020 she was signed with Thick as Thieves for representation as a Commercial Director. Critically acclaimed, Anna has also produced a myriad of music videos, winning Show Me Shorts’ Best Music Video multiple times, as well as nominations at both NZ Music Awards and UK Music Video Awards.
Rachel Harrison
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.
SoundCheck Aotearoa
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.
Rachel believes that harassment, violence and abuse are preventable and that the best solutions are tailored to each specific community and workplace, making use of their strengths and minimising specific risk factors.
Rachel started at Auckland Rape Crisis in the 1990’s, and since then has worked at Netsafe, the Hauraki Family Violence Network and Child Abuse Prevention Services Hauraki. She is now self-employed and works with a range of public and private sector organisations including the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Rugby, the screen sector, performance sector and music community as they work toward making their communities safe and free from harassment and abuse.
Reshma Martin
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.
Artist
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.
However, she's always held a burning ambition to release consistent music in New Zealand, the country she grew up in. With full backing from her Malaysian fan base, Reshma has been writing music that can relate to both audiences, aspiring to create a link between the two communities that make up her identity.
Paying homage to her Malaysian roots, whilst staying true to a commercial pop sound, Reshma aims to add colour and diversity to Aotearoa's music industry, whilst paving the way for a larger South East Asian presence in the mainstream music culture worldwide.
Melanie Calvesbert
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.
Soundcheck Aotearoa
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.
More recently, Mel has become the Sexual Harm Prevention & Response Advisor (SHAPRA) for the Music Industry.
Mel worked at the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) up until October 2022. Initially this was as one of their team of regionally based Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Advisors (SAPRAs) and then as the Manager for the SAPRAs.
Prior to the NZDF Mel worked for the most part in NGOs who have a focus on the response to sexual harm, including WellStop and the Wellington Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation.
She enjoys being able to take prior learning and adapt that in order to be able to support organisations which have taken on the challenge of creating safer and respectful environments.