I'm gladly looking to the likes of this event and others around Christchurch that give performers the opportunity to do their thing and have a voice. New Zealanders I feel, have a tendency to pay more attention to the artist who has gone away and impacted foreign shores with their talent. For some of us striving to enjoy our homeland & families and perform, the climate within our industry is so relatively new - its a challenge. For those of us passionately enjoying our music its worth meeting the challenge and cultivating a supportive climate for ourselves to flourish within.

Last year I had the delight of meeting and supporting Janet Austin from the states. She was telling me about a musicians fund that supported musicians in times of need. I'm encouraged by this idea, not so much of the idea of funding but rather that music artists are in communication and real about what the needs of this group are and how to meet those needs within a community of artists. This covered things like dental treatments, mortgage payments - real practical needs that as musicians, living from one job to the next and somewhat outside the realms of 'real jobs', can be so incredibly useful.

So I'm left with a posing question. How will we as a community of music makers and lovers, foster the well being and excellence of our artists? My first response is - lets enjoy them!!!