Introducing

Somebody once called my songs 'Kinky Indigenous Symphonies'.I think it's as good a description as any.! I sometimes call it 'alt-dot-Maaori'. But I guess my favourite artists say something about the music I make myself (see next question).

Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush, Ruia Aperahama, Che Fu, Radiohead, Annie Crummer, Paul Ubana Jones, BjÖrk, Ngoi Pewhairangi, Dave Dobbyn, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Rickie-Lee Jones, Whirimako Black, Dark Tower , Emma Paki.I could go on and on! My Mum and Dad, too - they taught me about harmony, and they both love music.

Your greatest musical moment?

So far (because the best is yet to come, heh heh..) my greatest musical moment has been winning a K.Yairi guitar in a singer-songwriter competition in Auckland . It was second prize, but it could have been 99 th for all I cared.I was just blown away that this beautiful instrument was suddenly mine. I walked round for the rest of the night literally unable to say anything else except 'I won a guitar.I won a guitar.' I still play it as my main guitar 4 years later and I think I will do so for the next 40; it does me proud. (Now that I think about it, this is actually one of my best life moments).

My mates speaking Maaori with me. My girlfriend singing 'The Flame' with her band on the roughs for her new album. The cello parts on the roughs for my new album (mmmmm...cello...) Joan Armatrading's 'Merchant of Love' (on the album 'What's Inside') Whirimako Black's second album 'Hohou Te Rongo' (especially the second track 'Kia Kaua Ra'). The government saying 'We're going to ban GE from Aotearoa forever!' (she said bitterly). A recording of Dylan Thomas reading his poem 'A Child's Christmas in Wales '. Radio NZ's Christmas Eve documentary about the Tangiwai Rail Disaster, 'Falling' - featuring extracts from a book of that name by Alan Loney. Very emotional.

Kapiti has so got it goin' on. I'm really looking forward to meeting and working with some of the great talents we have out here. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui.