Island Base FM Uplifts Rangatahi Through Music and Storytelling in Warkworth
Island Base FM recently held a two-day holiday programme in Warkworth at Mahurangi Hope Community Hub, bringing together over 20 young pasifika rangatahi for a creative space grounded in music, storytelling, and community.
Led by music mentors Noah Slee and Miloux, the programme moved through songwriting, recording, and music video creation as well as live performance.
This wasn’t just about learning how to write songs or shoot videos, it was about giving rangatahi a place to be themselves, to share their stories, and to feel proud of where they come from.
Another key part of the programme was the production workshop led by Jason Eli, who guided students through the technical side of creating music – helping them understand how their sound comes together behind the scenes. Jason also mixed and mastered all of the tracks, giving each song a polished, professional finish and showing the rangatahi what their ideas can become when they’re fully realised.
You could see the shift straight away. Day one was wrought with a few nerves! But by day two, everyone was stepping up – on the mic, in front of the camera, backing each other, hyping each other. Our power of creating a safe space was strong.
Island Base founder Jazz was there supporting throughout, continuing her vision of creating opportunities for young people to grow through music and creative expression. Alongside her, our Digital Creator Renee made sure the journey was captured so that stories can be told and shared. Those behind-the-scenes and those proud moments when everything started coming together.
Mahurangi Hope Church turned into a full creative hub, the way the rangatahi showed up for each other, shared their stories, and cheered each other on is what carried the whole experience.
We are so proud of every student who showed up and gave their energy to this programme. The level of talent in these rooms was immense; it was really humbling to witness.
This is what Island Base stands for – creating spaces where our young people feel seen, heard, and empowered. Where creativity becomes a way to connect back to who you are and where you’re from.
An enormous thanks to Moe and Arnie who work on the ground with the Mahurangi Pasifika youth for their weekly after school study group and Maxine from Hope Church Trust for inviting us in to mahi alongside them and taking over the space!
We are so excited to premiere our completed tracks and music videos together with all the youth, their whanau and the wider Mahurangi Pacific community.
Watch the music videos for each group here!
Everybody / I Love The Islands / Summer Vacacation
