What with selling out all its seminar seating spaces and getting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in for a round of very happy musician selfies, this year’s Going Global Music Summit was a blinder all round. In addition to that, it was the first NZ event to take place under the global pledge called Keychange, promoting gender equality across the music industry.

In what was its seventh year, the two-day music conference held at Roundhead Studios in Auckland attracted more than 30 international delegates to share their expertise and learn about the local music scene.

Along with NZ Music Commission, IMNZ entered into the 2018 Going Global Music Summit having signed the Keychange pledge. This international campaign invests in emerging female talent whilst encouraging industry conferences and festivals to sign up to a 50:50 gender balance pledge by 2022. Since its inception in 2017 over 110 festivals and conferences from all over the world have signed up to the pledge.

“Keychange is a brilliant initiative that gives conferences and festivals a way to show they are committed to attaining, or continuing, to hold places for equally loud voices,” says IMNZ GM Dylan Pellett. “Signing up to the pledge shows Going Global’s commitment for upholding our values to have equal gender representation.”