Dame Tariana Turia DNZM
Kotuku honours you, Dame Tariana, not only for what you have done for Kotuku choir, but for the legacy you have imprinted on our land for our mokopuna to find their way home.
Excerpt from “Crossing the Floor” Helen Leahy:
“The importance of hope is central in Tariana’s life. During the course of her parliamentary life, she came across many organisations of people whose experiences moved her to tears. One such group that she fell in love with was the kotuku choir, a choir founded to offer troubled youth a voice. As Tariana’s parliamentary days came to an end, the founder of Kotuku, Sharon Thorburn, specifically composed a song to honour Tariana. In seeking the opportunity to sing it for her, Sharon shared her reason for doing so:
It was Tariana who lit the hope torch in the Wellington Stadium. It was Tariana who cried when she shared for a moment the transparent and vulnerable hope in the kotuku choir youth faces as they sang the hope song. It was Tariana, who by her life, is an inspiration for all of us and the children of Kotuku are part of her legacy to New Zealand”.
Kotuku honours you, Dame Tariana, not only for what you have done for Kotuku choir, but for the legacy you have imprinted on our land for our mokopuna to find their way home.
Excerpt from “Crossing the Floor” Helen Leahy:
“The importance of hope is central in Tariana’s life. During the course of her parliamentary life, she came across many organisations of people whose experiences moved her to tears. One such group that she fell in love with was the kotuku choir, a choir founded to offer troubled youth a voice. As Tariana’s parliamentary days came to an end, the founder of Kotuku, Sharon Thorburn, specifically composed a song to honour Tariana. In seeking the opportunity to sing it for her, Sharon shared her reason for doing so:
It was Tariana who lit the hope torch in the Wellington Stadium. It was Tariana who cried when she shared for a moment the transparent and vulnerable hope in the kotuku choir youth faces as they sang the hope song. It was Tariana, who by her life, is an inspiration for all of us and the children of Kotuku are part of her legacy to New Zealand”.
Dame Kerry Prendergast DNZM JP, Mayor of Wellington has stood alongside Kotuku from our very beginnings. After she officially launched Kotuku choir in Wellington, 2006, her endorsement and support has continued to open doors for Kotuku, helping us establish reciprocal collaborations with U.S.A., U.K. and Venezuela.
We could not have grown wings without her.
We could not have grown wings without her.
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Dawn Jane Sanders ONZM QSM, New Zealand theatre scholar, founder and current CEO of the Shakespeare's Globe Centre New Zealand; recipient of the 2006 Sam Wanamaker Award.
Dawn has shared Kotuku rehearsal and stage space, but beyond this, through her resolve to make Shakespeare accessible to all New Zealand youth, she is our living example that when we have a dream we can overcome any obstacle. Her dedicated resolve, tireless hard work and authenticity continue to inspire us all to reach beyond ourselves to build legacy. |
Zane Te Wiremu Jarvis is one of New Zealand’s outstanding baritones. He paused in his busy international schedule to scaffold Kotuku choir through multiple concerts in Old St. Pauls Cathedral, Wellington, the Wellington Convention Centre and the Wellington Town Hall. He inspired our singers to reach for the stars. Beyond his phenomenal public persona for Kotuku, he helped us build strong foundational structure.