What's your favourite thing to do in Whanganui?
Eating and drinking with my friends at all the incredible establishments Whanganui has to offer. My favourites? Porridge Watson, Article, and obviously the Citadel.
How would you like to see Castlecliff in 50 years?
All my years in Whanganui have been spent in Castlecliff.
I would love to see some of the public domain opened up for commercial development, so the area can continue to grow and thrive.
Only to an extent, though, because part of the beauty of Castlecliff is the diversity and small community beach vibe.
If you had to choose another country to live in, what would it be?
I've been to some amazing places, but I'd probably have to say Tonga.
Island life is legit, and island time is a real thing. I could definitely live on ʻEua Island. I just adored it when I was there.
You can curate a music festival with any artists past and present. Who would make the line-up?
Tool, PJ Harvey, Bjork, and Castlecliff Lights. They (Castlecliff Lights) would definitely be headlining. Maybe I'd chuck Rage Against The Machine in there as well.
Before the latest lockdown, I actually had a really great gig in the works with two friends, Ben and Hannah, from the band Unsanitary Napkin.
It's still in the pipeline but obviously we'll have to wait until alert level 1. I'm excited, It's got a really diverse line-up. Keep your eyes out for that.
What do you think Whanganui's best-kept secret is?
Man, this is a hard one. There are a few. One would definitely be Paloma Gardens. It's amazing. If you haven't been out there, you bloody well should. Another is Sound Valley festival, although I'm hoping it's not going to stay the best-kept secret. That's going to be something everybody knows about.
What advice would you give to your 15-year-old self?
Trust your gut and intuition, and talk about your trauma. It piles up by the time you're in your adult life.
How do you think Whanganui could improve?
It could be better at supporting the more vulnerable people in our community. Whanganui has a great community spirit, but I think we've still got a wee way to go with it, in terms of looking out for everyone.
We've got to take that spirit and expand it, and have a lot more understanding and less judgement towards those who are different to you.
Would you rather dance to every song you hear or sing to every song you hear?
They're both so good. The reason I have the head on my shoulders that I do is because I can sing, and it's kept me pretty stable throughout my life.
I'd have to say sing. I can definitely cut a few shapes, and it's good for the soul, but I am who I am because I can sing.
I've actually only sung karaoke twice in my life. The first time was in Newcastle, Australia.
I sang Freak by Silverchair, which was apt because that's where they're from.
The other one was Wicked Games by Chris Isaak, which I was made famous for on the Homai te Pakipaki show.
How do you think Whanganui has changed in the time you've been here?
It's bittersweet because it's changed in a lot of really rad ways in terms of the growth of the art scene here and all the little culinary corners that are popping up.
Unfortunately, with the exodus from the cities and the property boom, a lot of our diversity is really struggling to retain its place here.
That creates a huge divide which I'm horrifically aware of. It's been particularly stark to me in Castlecliff.
There are positives and negatives, but all in all Whanganui has gone from being called a zombie town to a thriving arts hub of New Zealand.
Which event from history would you most like to have been at?
That's an easy one - Woodstock. I'd want to hang out with Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, for sure. You'd get to see the best guitarist of all time as well - Jimi Hendrix.
