Holly Minchington representing the Bay of Plenty in the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir

Hi! I am a 17 year old student from Whakatane. I simply love music and I have been in the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir (NZSSC) for the last 3 years. I am the the only member from the Bay of Plenty region.

As a choir we meet to train for a week each school holidays around the main centres in New Zealand - it is a huge committment, but one that I love.

In 2016 I toured with the NZSSC to Canada to represent New Zealand at an international choral event. This year is my final year in the choir as I will be at Victoria University, studying music in 2019. In July we will be travelling to Hong Kong and China, so that the NZSSC can once again represent our beautiful country.

So far to date I have raised approximately $10,000 to cover the costs of our training and travelling with the choir and I have $1,500 left to raise to complete the costs for this year. I have been raising money so far by busking, gardening, teaching clarinet and seeking funds from some very generous groups such as the Whakatane Music Society, Whakatane Regional Council, Lions' Clubs, and Rotary Clubs.

As far as the future goes for me I want to study music and then do a post graduate course in music therapy because I know music has done so much for me and it can do so much good for other people as well.

Thank you for reading my page and I would be very grateful if you would consider sponsoring me to help me complete my final year with the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir.