Christine White

Christine White is a Ngāi Tahu–affiliated singer‑songwriter, composer, and sonic artist now based on the Kāpiti Coast. Born to Kai Tahu lineage (Wairewa Marae, Banks Peninsula) and steeped in extended‑family singing traditions, her early musical journey moved from Pentecostal school choirs to the energetic pub and café scenes of 1990s Auckland.

With her band, Christine earned acclaim by winning the Gluepot Battle of the Bands and recording at National Radio’s Helen Young Studio. She then diversified into children’s musical theatre—writing for Tim Bray Productions for over 15 years—and immersed herself in experimental sound through a Sonic Arts degree (Honours) at Victoria University, Wellington.

Her work explores novel textures, from creating “The Workbench” — a Black & Decker tool‑bench instrument with grills, racks, and contact mics — to recording performance installations with sound artists like Chris Black and Jason Wright.

She’s released solo albums including Pure White (1999), Pirouette (2005), When the Things That Heal Us Hurt Us… (2018), and the ambitious bilingual Raven Project (2022), which features six songs in English and Farsi, haiku‑style poetry, videos, and collaboration with composer John Psathas and some 50 musicians