Irirangi Te Motu | NZ On Air has announced the appointment of Teresa Patterson as the new Head of Music. She will takes up the position held by David Ridler for the past six years in June.

Teresa has worked in the NZ music and arts industry for more than 25 years in a wide variety of roles across major music labels, artist management, music festival management, marketing and PR, mentorship, as head of the Music Managers Forum Aotearoa, and most recently at the NZ Comedy Trust/NZ International Comedy Festival.

She was closely involved with the establishment of SoundCheck Aotearoa, is a board member of MusicHelps, and is a past member of the NZ Music Commission board.

“I am excited to be joining the NZ On Air whānau and the amazing Music team as the new Head of Music, and am proud to be the first Polynesian female in the role. Having dealt with NZ On Air my entire music career, but especially as an artist manager, I am looking forward to adding my depth of industry experience to the team.”

NZ On Air chief executive Cameron Harland says the agency is delighted to have attracted a leader of Teresa’s calibre to the role.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have outstanding service from our previous Head of Music so they are big shoes to fill, however Teresa brings exceptional experience and industry knowledge to a very strong team. We know she is full of passion for our music mahi and has great ideas to continue to grow the success of local music in challenging times.”