Every Monday, Holly McPhee makes the drive with a pile of instruments from our Northland Regional Centre in Whangārei to the wild west coast of the Kaipara. Holly starts her day with a lively music therapy session at Ruawai Primary School, before heading to Dargaville Primary School for individual and group sessions with local students. Learning Support Coordinator Matt Colville had this to say about Ruawai Primary School’s music therapy sessions in the Kaipara:
“We were blessed to have music therapy introduced to our school at the beginning of Term One this year. Our music therapist, Holly, instantly gained the attention and engagement of a small group of lovely, neurodiverse students. The instruments, singing, and movement hooked all of our children, and we have seen participation and co-operation from those who have previously found this very difficult. Not to mention a lot of joy and happiness - also for teachers and teacher aides! We are hugely grateful to Raukatauri Music Therapy and the Hugo Charitable Trust.”
Fast forward to Thursdays, and Holly hits the road again with her instrument kit. This time, she’s heading north to Paihia and Okaihau. The Rangimarie Learning Support Unit at Okaihau College, right in the middle of Te Tai Tokerau, transforms into a music-soaked base for Holly to run music therapy sessions from for their students with disabilities. The school also generously hosts music therapy sessions for others from the community, including a family who drives from Ahipara. While this is still a big trip for the family, by attending sessions in Okaihau rather than at our Whangārei centre, their travel time is cut in half.
Until this year, schools and families in the Kaipara and the Far North did not have access to any music therapy, or indeed, have any music therapists in their areas. It was only when Raukatauri was awarded specific funding from the Hugo Charitable Trust to reach further into Te Tai Tokerau that we were able to increase our Northland reach. Maryanne Green, the eldest daughter of Irish philanthropist and businessman the late Hugh Green, known in Ireland as Hugo, founded the Hugo Charitable Trust in May 2017 to continue Hugh’s philanthropic legacy and to give back to the people of New Zealand. The funding from the Hugo Charitable Trust enabled Raukatauri not only to hire Holly as the third member of our Northland team, but also to provide services to schools in the Kaipara, Far North and Whangārei districts at no cost, changing the lives of dozens of children through music. Raukatauri, and the communities in Northland who we work with, want to say a huge thank you to the Hugo Charitable Trust for their generous support!
