Mana Waiariki
Māori/ Japanese violinist, Mana Waiariki (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) completed her Bachelor of Music at Te Kōki New Zealand School of Music with Helene Pohl at the end of 2023. Mana was generously supported by the Deane Endowment Trust throughout her undergraduate studies and they will continue to support her as she pursues her postgraduate studies specialising in Chamber Music with Peter Clark in 2025. She has also been awarded the Wellington Totoweka Scholarship (2021), Barbara Finlayson Scholarship (2021), and the VUW Ensemble Music Performance Award (2023).
In 2024, Mana worked as a freelance musician as well as working full time at the NZSQ Trust office as a Toi Māori Aotearoa, Māori Arts Intern. She was involved in delivering national and international tours of the NZSQ and organising a new concert series called The Racket Lounge.
She was on trial for a core first violin position with Orchestra Wellington and was a guest soloist and concertmaster for the Marlborough Civic Orchestra. Over the years, Mana has played with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Hawke's Bay Orchestra, Nelson Symphony Orchestra, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
A versatile chamber musician, Mana has played in performing art festivals across Aotearoa such as the Adam Summer School, Fringe Festival, Classical on Cuba, and Cuba Dupa. In 2021, Mana and fellow AQ musician, Tal Amoore, self presented concerts in Auckland and Wellington with Steinway Artist, Jason Bae, and the Eden Quartet. Mana has also had the opportunity to play with the New Zealand String Quartet in 2025.
Mana teaches violin at Arohanui Strings, a Sistema- inspired music programme that provides free music lessons to children. She has also done many community engagement concerts across Aotearoa through the Martinborough Music Festival and the NZSO.
In 2023, Mana was chosen to collaborate with Wellington based composer, Michael Norris, to play on a fixed electric backing track for his piece 'Waipounamu' which was commissioned by the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.
Mana has received masterclasses from internationally acclaimed musicians including: Hilary Hahn, Sergey Malov, Benjamin Baker, Sophie Rowell, Wilma Smith, and Vesa-Matti Leppänen.
Mana plays a violin on loan to her through the Hill Family Foundation’s Instrument Bank by Karla Mitchell.
