Musician Annafinau Tukuitoga, 20, is one of 25 women under 25 recognised today for making a positive difference in New Zealand.
Paeroa musician Annafinau Tukuitoga is hitting all the right notes and has now gained national recognition.
She is one of 25 women aged under 25 recognised today for making a positive difference in New Zealand after she was named one of four winners from Waikato on the YWCA’s Y25 list this year.
Tukuitoga, 20, is a rising country/bluegrass musician who started her musical journey aged just 4.
“My journey with country music started at 4 in my nanny Libby’s garage. She was my daycare nanny at the time, now she is my nanny. At the time, her grandkids were singing country music, and I used to hear them sing.
“One day I was singing to a tune they used to sing, Bimbo was the song.
“When Nana Lib heard, she wanted me to sing again, but in front of her, and from then she asked if I’d be into singing country music.
“During this time, I had recently lost my grandfather, who I loved dearly, and my mum thought it would be a good idea to get my mind and emotions off that and put it all into singing as a coping mechanism.”
Tukuitoga has come a long way in the following years, having received a Creative New Zealand Arts, Culture and Creativity Award at a ceremony for the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards in the Beehive in 2022.
Her music now resonates across the country, acknowledged in the title she was given as New Zealand Country Music Youth Ambassador by the Prime Minister.
Tukuitoga is also a champion for her endangered Niue language, bringing its phrases to her lyrics and melodies.
She was recently selected as the Youth Ambassador to Hawaii as part of the New Zealand delegation attending the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Cultural held in Hawaii in June.
Her role was to bring the voice of young Pasifika people living in New Zealand to the wider Pacific region.
“I come from a small place in the South Pacific called the Rock of Polynesia Niue.”
Tukuitoga said she had lived in the Waikato all her life before relocating to Wellington to study last year.
She is studying commercial music, majoring in music practice at Massey University.
“I started singing in a group, we were called The Girls, we competed in competitions, performing as guest artists at various country music clubs.
“I was part of Fountain City Country Music Club at 5 years old and then we relocated to Paeroa for mum’s work.
“I signed up with Matamata Country Music Club and met different people who invested time in me; since I moved to Paeroa, we couldn’t commit to the travel for group work, so Mum and I made the conscious decision to start my own musical career.
“So since singing in my nana Libby’s garage, my love for music and country music has grown so much.”
During her time at Hauraki Plains College, Tukuitoga competed in Tangata Beats and Rockquest where she placed three years in a row with solo and duo performances.
“That is where my love for songwriting grew.”
Her journey into bluegrass music began when she heard a girl play the banjo at an awards ceremony.
“I was really intrigued so I decided that I wanted to invest in a banjo; I taught myself the basic chords in G, until my Mum decided it would be a better idea to get lessons.
“We bought my first banjo with the funds I had won from Tangata Beats; I connected with Paul Trenwith who introduced me to the Bluegrass Society in Hamilton.
“I played once at the Auckland Bluegrass Society, and a couple more times in Hamilton. I attended the Sunday session with his group in Hamilton and was lucky enough to perform with really talented musicians.
“This was a good space for me to learn more about bluegrass, and I grew to really love the genre itself.”
She then travelled as a Youth Ambassador for the New Zealand Country Music Association, attending festivals and meeting other banjo players along the way.
“My grandmother Evo loved anything Niue, songs, chants, everything, so, she taught me a lot of Lologo Niue (Niue songs) she would sing and play her ukulele with my nana Ofo at our Sunday school.
“My grandfather from my dad’s side was also heavily into music.
“Music plays such a huge role in my life, my Mum herself is also very good at music too. In relation to my culture, music plays a big role through dance, chanting and singing, of course.”
At present, she is working on a demo for an original song called Reminiscing.
A release date would be confirmed in the next month or two, she said.
“My friend Thomas Cacho-Bevin has helped me move this process of recording my song.
“The goal is to release this by end of 2024 as I will be in my final year at Massey in 2025. Furthermore, the plan is to enrol at Victoria University to complete my master’s in music therapy.
“I write a lot of music, some sad sob stories, but mostly about my journey and love for family.
“My nan has dementia, diagnosed over 10 years ago, I use songwriting as my way of coping with everything we have gone through.
“Two years ago, we put her in a rest home and that changed our world; music therapy has come around because of nan and our journey with dementia.”
Tukuitoga said she wanted to thank her family for always supporting her.
“The strong women in my family who truly are the backbone. I wouldn’t be me without them.”
Now in its fifth year, Y25 continues to celebrate young women and those beyond the binary who are stepping forward to lead change.
Developed by the YWCA, Y25 celebrates 25 wāhine and tāhine between the age of 15 and 25, who are trailblazers.
The nationwide search and nomination process produces a list of community leaders, who are involved in different areas from activism in the arts, to social justice, smashing systems, to reimagining engineering, and starting sustainable businesses that focus on the good they can do, working well above their years and peers.
From more than 100 nominations, the final 25 were selected for their vision, their leadership and their impact, whether far-reaching or community-focused.
“The Y25 programme alights a glimmer of hope. When looking at the extroadinary rōpū of wāhine and tāhine leaders across the motu, you can’t help but feel like our future is in good hands,” associate YWCA Tāmaki Makaurau and Y25 programme lead Genna Hawkins-Boulton said.
“The joy of the Y25 programme is standing in the strength of knowing that leadership can come in all forms.
“The Y25 show us all the different ways you can succeed in Aotearoa. Many have faced challenges and used these experiences to build their tenacity and determination to make our country better.
“The Y25 platform is all about giving these trailblazers space to speak their truth, creating inspiring and visible role models, and ensuring they are heard and recognised on their terms.”