New Zealand Ukulele Trust
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N​ew Zealand Ukulele Trust
Te Rūnanga Ukurere o Aotearoa

What we do

  • Support hundreds of Kiwi kids to play the ukulele every year - these are our Kiwileles!
  • Provide schools with an online teaching resource - the Kiwileles Songbank - packed with songs and waiata specifically chosen and arranged by educators and musicians for NZ tamariki. The resource includes song sheets, teaching tips, practice tracks and lyric videos, with a focus on NZ songwriters and bands.
  • Support Kiwileles Uke-Hub Leaders to run regional events and teacher workshops around Aotearoa.
  • Encourage our Kiwileles to strive for excellence through our Kiwileles Junior and Senior Squads.
  • Assist schools to obtain ukuleles through our ‘Ukes in Schools’ programme, thanks to generous support from our sponsors.

Why we do it

  • The benefits of music education early in life are well researched. There is a growing body of evidence to confirm that learning to sing and play an instrument increases confidence, academic progress, empathy, listening, social skills and sense of wellbeing.
  • Children, teachers and whānau experience the joy of making music together.
  • ​We support the NZ Music Industry by focusing on NZ songs and waiata and by ensuring our programme is copyright compliant. 
  • We recognise that our Kiwileles need to sing songs about ‘us’ and be inspired by local talent. 

Why the ukulele?

  • Encourages singing and playing
  • Encourages songwriting
  • Easy for teachers to teach and learn alongside your students
  • Portable and cheap
  • Kids and adults love it!

How we do it

Our activities rely on: 
  • Hundreds of hours of volunteer time
  • Goodwill of supporters and teachers who give of their time to deliver the programmes
  • Funding through contestable grants and securing donations
  • Corporate partnerships which we are constantly seeking

Ukes in Schools

For young people to learn music they need instruments … a pretty simple statement, but many school communities struggle to find funding for music against competing interests. The New Zealand Ukulele Trust provides schools who apply and are successful with twelve ukuleles. Just one set of ukuleles can provide every child at that school with the opportunity to learn music.

Over 2,500 free ukuleles from NZ Ukulele Trust have been delivered to schools via our ‘Ukes in Schools’ initiative thanks to various sponsors over the years of its existence.​
2023 applications for 'Ukes in Schools' have closed.
We were very pleased to be able to provide the following schools with a class set of ukuleles over the past four years, due to the generous partnership with Kala Brand Music and Lyn McAllister Music.
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2023
Cobden School
Favona Primary School
George Street Normal School Hingaia Peninsula School Kakaramea School
Lake Rotoiti School
Logan Park High School
Matarau School
Scott Point School
South New Brighton School
Stirling School
Tākaka Primary School
Tangowahine School
Taupaki School
Te Kura o Mangatuna
Te Rōhutu Whio
Te Tipua School
Tōtara Park School
Valley Primary School
Waitoki School
Westburn School
Whangaparaoa College
Whatawhata School
Wilford School

2022
Bream Bay College
Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori
Colville School
Cotswold School
Grant's Braes School
Kawaha Point School
Knapdale School
Linton Camp School
Manchester Street School
Masterton Intermediate School

Ōpōtiki School
Rangiora Borough School
Rāwhiti School
Rimu School
Rosebank School (Auckland)
St Brendan's School (Heretaunga)
St Mary's School Hokitika
St Matthew's School
Stanhope Road School
Takaro School
Te Poi School
Te Uku School
Wakari School
2021 
Baverstock Oaks Primary School
Coley Street School
Kelston Intermediate
Kilbirnie School
Konini Primary School (Auckland)
Hāwera Intermediate
Lynmore School
Māngere East Primary School
Nawton Primary School
Patea Area School
Purua School
Rewa Rewa School
Silverdale Normal School
St Dominic’s Primary School
Taipa Area School
Turua Primary School
Waiau Pa School
Kahurangi School Wellington
Whenuakite Country Kids, Whitianga
Victory Primary School, Nelson
2020 
​​Auckland Normal Intermediate
​Deanwell School
​Dominion Road School
​Elim Christian College
​Henderson Intermediate
​Holy Cross Catholic School (Henderson)
​
Mākara Model School
​Mt Carmel School
​Mt Eden Normal Primary School

Nūhaka School​

​​​Ormiston Primary School
​Robertson Road School
​Sawyers Bay School
​Sunset Primary
​Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Hiringa
​Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School
​Timatanga Community School
Waverley Park School
​Tamariki Uke On, Invercargill
​
While a good number of schools in the Kiwileles Programme have benefited from the Ukes in Schools initiative,  we are conscious that there are many, many more schools in need. Demand for instruments always exceeds our ability to supply.  We are grateful that our current partnership with Kala Brand Music and Lyn McAllister Music extended to 2023.
"We are so happy to have them and are feeling very lucky - we love the bright colours, and the tuner is the best tuner I've ever used!  We are just so stoked with the lovely new ukes! Ngā mihi nui ki a koe - Thanks from the grateful ukulele learners of Deanwell school!"

Meg Davies
KIWILELES LEAD TEACHER, DEANWELL SCHOOL - HAMILTON

"We were all so excited and the ukuleles are absolutely beautiful!  Thank you agan to Kala Brand Music and the NZ Ukulele Trust for making this happen."
Chae-Yeon Park
MUSIC TEACHER AUCKLAND NORMAL INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

"Thank you for this very generous offer to support our ukulele music skills programme.
Nick Chapman
PRINCIPAL NUKAHA SCHOOL – HAWKES BAY

"Thank you NZ Ukulele and Kala Brand Music for the very generous donation of these fantastic new ukuleles.  Our students love the different colours!! They can't wait to start making beautiful music on them.  We really do appreciate this generous gift."

Shirley Dephoff
​
KIWILELES LEAD TEACHER DOMINION ROAD SCHOOL – AUCKLAND

NZUT

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  • Home
  • About
    • New Zealand Ukulele Trust
    • Patrons and Trustees
  • Members Page
  • Music resources
    • Free resources - have a try
    • Resources for Kiwileles registered schools
  • Events
    • 2023
    • Past years
  • Competitions
    • Uke-can-do-it
    • K - Factor 2023
    • Uke - Art
  • Become a Kiwileles School
  • FAQ