In 2019 we opened our first Regional Centre in the beautiful Old Library in the middle of Whangārei. We offered sessions two days a week with one, part-time, music therapist. Now, in 2022, we are so proud to be able to offer music therapy sessions five days a week, with four full-time music therapists, who serve over 300 clients all the way from Whangārei to Ahipara. And, as much as we cherished our time in the Whangārei Old Library, we are absolutely thrilled that we now need a bigger, dedicated space for music therapy and that we are now able to serve more of Te Tai Tōkerau.

The small villa on Maunu Rd in Woodhill, Whangārei, was officially opened with pre-dawn blessing on Monday 19 September, and an opening celebration evening in December. This new milestone reflects the fact our whānau and the community find our work meaningful, and we are honoured that our services have had such an impact in Northland. Our expansion in Whangārei and the Far North means that we are able to take our services to more remote and vulnerable communities that do not typically have access to wellbeing through the arts.

We are so grateful to the local community who have supported us and seen the value in our mahi, which has allowed us to grow our regional centre to where we are today—our lovely new building. With this move we will be better able to accommodate group music therapy in our larger Kiwi and Tūī rooms and with a larger space, we will be able to clear our waiting list and see more clients in the community. In addition, having more therapy rooms means that we can schedule more sessions simultaneously. We know from our Auckland Centre that this leads to wonderful connections between whānau in the waiting room and wrap-around support for parents and caregivers.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our new Northland centre opening celebration! It was a fabulous evening filled with music, kai, and community. The celebration started with a Mihi Whakatau provided by Te Parawhau, which was followed by a followed by an amazing performance from NZ Opera who travelled from Auckland and Kerikeri to be with us, and to our trustee Deborah for her amazing kōrerō. Afterwards we gathered for a blessing and kai, and enjoyed music provided by one of our Auckland-based music therapists, Jez. Thank you also to Pead, Lyre's Spirit Co, Villa Maria Estate (Auckland) and Whangārei Rockshop NZ for helping us to make the night such a success.

*New Zealand Opera members perform at our NRC opening celebration. Photo credit: Ngāti Hine FM.*

We would love to fill up our new third music therapy room by increasing the number of onsite clients we reach by 35%, and also diversifying our client base. Currently we work with clients from infants to those in their middle ages who have a range of special needs, including cerebral palsy, autism spectrum and other developmental disorders, genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, exposure to family violence and neglect, and complex trauma. Yet music therapy is beneficial across the lifespan and for a variety of diverse diagnoses. We would welcome referrals from all those who want to use music therapy for improved well-being, including adults with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, mental health disorders and who are recovering from strokes.

If you would like to refer yourself or a loved one for music therapy sessions at any of our Regional Centres, follow this link to complete a referral form. This referral form can be completed by yourself, it does not need to be filled in by a medical professional. Once the referral form has been received and processed, we will be in touch to schedule a consultation meeting with you which is approximately 45 minutes long. In this meeting we will gather background information and discuss options for music therapy. Consultation meetings can be held online, and there is no charge for the meeting.  

We can’t wait to meet you!