Local Rangatahi, Music Legends and a National Stage
Amplify Aotearoa is an intergenerational music project bringing rangatahi (young people) together with some of New Zealand’s most respected artists in professional studios and live performance settings.
Led by teacher and creator Lachie Holt, the project has gained national attention for opening doors for young musicians who might never otherwise step into a studio or share a stage with Kiwi music legends.
While Amplify Aotearoa officially launched in 2026, its roots can be traced back to The Mental Notes Project, a collaboration between Hamilton East School students and members of Split Enz. The project achieved national success, reaching number 2 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and demonstrating the power of connecting young musicians with established artists.
The process is simple. Student bands are paired with established musicians. They rehearse, send in practice recordings, then head into the studio to record their own versions of iconic New Zealand songs alongside the original artists. The outcome is both a recording and a shared experience, captured on vinyl.
The inaugural Amplify Aotearoa programme brings together artists including Don McGlashan, Jordan Luck, Jason Kerrison, Hollie Smith, Nathan King, Mike Chunn, Andrew McLennan, and others. The recordings are pressed onto vinyl and distributed nationwide through JB Hi-Fi. This year’s vinyl artwork has been created by Dick Frizzell in collaboration with his son Otis Frizzell and music legend Chris Knox.
As Lachie puts it, the kaupapa (project) is not about competition or pressure. It is about access, belief and possibility: “When a young person stands on stage next to a musician they’ve grown up listening to, it changes how they see themselves,” he says. “It sends a clear message that this world is not closed to you.”
That message is now reaching the Coromandel.
After Lachie’s appearance on the Altbays Table Talk podcast in 2024, a connection formed with the Flock Media Group crew, including Leo Magri and Taylor O.G. from Coromind.
The relationship grew through shared kaupapa, including a Waitangi Day visit with social media creator Leighton Clarke, known as Uncle Tics, and time with Tame Iti’s whānau following an invitation from Te Rangimoaho Iti.
In 2026, that connection comes full circle. Amplify Aotearoa has selected Coromandel as a new region, with the Coromind team invited to help lead the musical representation of the rohe.
Working alongside singer-songwriter Stu Pedley and producer Dave Rhodes, Leo Magri and the Coromind team have brought together a standout group of young local musicians. The Coromind Band features Joseph May on bass, Zach Greenfield on drums, Riley Flynn on rhythm guitar, Cameron Johansen on vocals, Jade Kekesi on lead guitar, with backing vocals from Olivia Graham, Bonnie Roberts, and Wallace Roberts.
Together, they will record and perform a tribute to Hello Sailor, with the opportunity to work directly with guitarist and songwriter Harry Lyon.
Across the wider Amplify Aotearoa project, students are working with some of New Zealand’s most respected musicians, reinforcing the scale and reach of the kaupapa.
For Coromandel, this is more than participation. It is representation. Young local musicians stepping into professional spaces, carrying their own stories, and placing the region into a national creative conversation.
Coromind will release more content soon, including a full feature with behind-the-scenes photography from the recording sessions at Dave Rhodes’ studio, plus images from the live concert at Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton, on 23 August.
For now, this is the first note in a journey that puts Coromandel rangatahi on stage alongside some of the most respected names in New Zealand music!
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