Recording artist and television presenter Anika Moa has numerous APRA Silver Scrolls nominations under her belt, a debut double platinum album “Thinking Room”,  not to mention her incredible skills as a comedienne, singer-songwriter and performer. As well as writing for herself, she writes for bubbas and others and is an evergreen melting-pot of talent as well as an absolute National Treasure. As our Kiwi Legend for 2023…Anika – we salute you!

On guitar and lead vocals, Liz is the primary songwriter in The Beths. Their albums Future Me Hates Me, Jump Rope Gazers and Expert in A Dying Field have received critical acclaim, winning numerous Tui awards, including Best Album (FMHM). Without a shadow of a doubt, Liz is exceptionally well-placed to guide songwriters and composers.

Reuben Bonner is the director of Banished Music; a record label turned boutique music company that specialises in promoting shows, live performance booking and management. Reuben is the live agent for acts such as The Chills, Tiny Ruins, Broods, Nadia Reid and The Veils and promotes NZ shows for the likes of Lucy Dacus, Sharon Van Etten, Perfume Genius and Babe Rainbow.

Winner of the Taite Music Prize (2022) for his stunning song “Leave Love Out Of This”, Anthonie is a talented musician who blends synthesizers, piano, guitar and loops along with unique vocals to create songs rich in advocacy and depth. Also a Silver Scroll nominee, Anthonie is both educator and passionate life student in equal measures. We welcome him to Yami. Known for his love of public transport, Anthonie’s other role is running Whanganui’s Durie Hill Elevator.

Teresa has worked in the NZ music and arts industry for more than 25 years in major music labels, artist management, including Six60, music festival management, marketing and PR, mentorship, and head of the Music Managers Forum Aotearoa. Currently Head of Music at NZ on Air, plus a board member (present or past) of SoundCheck Aotearoa and NZ Music Commission, you can see why we’re delighted to welcome Teresa back to YAMI.

Lead guitar player in the award winning NZ band ‘The Beths’, Jonathan is also a highly skilled audio and recording engineer. We welcome him with open arms to his first ever Yami SouNZ Summit.

Lisa is a professional singer with over 20 years experience in the music industry. She has travelled extensively throughout Australasia, Asia, UK, Europe and the US with the likes of Fly My Pretties, Hollie Smith, Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Sola Rosa and Rhombus. Her skills and talents in funk and soul are beyond compare and we couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Lisa back to Yami.

Singer-songwriter Mirai (formerly known as Miki Brown), originates from Tāhuna/Queenstown where her journey in music and performance began at the age of 6 singing and dancing in the QPS Kapa Haka group. Mirai intertwines her deep connection with the mountains and surrounding whenua into soundscapes and metaphoric reflections. Her mission is to keep people connected to their hearts, to one another and to Papatuanuku, our great mother Earth.

Lee Prebble has established himself as one of New Zealand’s finest engineers and producers, and has worked with bands such as The Black Seeds, The Phoenix Foundation, LAB, Trinity Roots, Dave Dobbyn, Mel Parsons, Fly My Pretties and the Nudge. He began his career studying sound engineering at The NZ Broadcasting School and then spent 3 1⁄2 years as an audio engineer at Marmalade Audio in Wellington before setting up his own studio known as ‘The Surgery’, which has been in operation for over 20 years.

Master of the licks, Ned Ngatae plays guitar for Fat Freddy’s Drop and The Black Seeds, after starting out with Trinity Roots, Fly My Pretties and plenty more. Ned is known also as DJ Killamanraro.

Former assistant editor for Under The Radar and Flying Out social media manager, Annabel now spends her days making weird and wonderful visual content as the co-founder of production company Sports Team. The past few years have seen her step into roles as director, producer, editor, special effects coordinator, director of photography and stop motion animator – the latter landing Sports Team an AMA Artisan Award nomination for their work on The Beths’ ‘I’m Not Getting Excited’ music video.

As the lead singer of Shapeshifter and co-founder and MC for The Peacekeepers, P Digsss dominates any stage with his artistry as a vocalist, DJ,  freestyler and MC.

Known throughout New Zealand as an incredibly versatile bass-player and musical collaborator, Mike abandoned the corporate lawyer world for life in a punk hardcore band before playing and recording with The Brunettes, Dimmer, Pluto, Reb Fountain, The Bads, Anna Coddington, Anika Moa, Mulholland, Tim Finn, Nightchoir, SJD and Tami Neilson. Mike also continues to try to find time to compose music, alongside his role as Director of Member Services NZ.

Adam is a DJ, and plays as a Session Musician for Dave Dobbyn, Home Brew, Niko Walters, and Team Dynamite among others. He was also music director for the Diggy Dupe “Panthers” live show. With next level skills as a musician and Serato master, he is keen to share his knowledge with the Yami tribe.

Rodney has over 30 years experience in both executive roles with record labels and in artist management. From humbling beginnings in an average (crap) band to roadie/tour manager and manager for The Exponents in the 90’s, Rodney then filled a number of roles with record labels including PolyGram Records (now Universal) and Sony Music. He worked in sales, as National Promotions Manager, Label Manager, NZ Artist Marketing Director and A&R Director across those labels over a 18 year career.And now?  A full circle, managing The Exponents again and up & coming pop sensation Luca George.  

Joe is a versatile and passionate filmmaker, with over a decade of experience producing Music Videos, TV series and documentary content throughout New Zealand, America, and South-East Asia. In his role as Cinematographer, Writer, Director, and Editor, Joe has worked with hundreds of musicians from across the globe including Devilskin, Che Fu, Sinate, King Kapisi, and Poetik.