Creative NZ head Gretchen La Roche on muscial journey and growing up in Gisborne

NZ Herald

11-07-2025

She has worked at the organisation twice before, but was most recently executive director at Christchurch's Court Theatre.
There, she oversaw a complete turnaround in workplace culture and the opening of the theatre company's new $61 million home, its first purpose-built space in 54 years.
La Roche has an undeniably impressive CV; only a small portion of her achievements have been listed so far.
But it all started in Gisborne, when she asked her parents for a saxophone and was given a clarinet.
'I come from a really musical family and a long, long line of music on all sides,' she said.
Her father, Ian Dunsmore, founded the Gisborne International Music Competition, which attracted competitors from across the globe until it ended after the Covid pandemic.
La Roche was taught how to play the clarinet by a music teacher who lived just down the road.
'She had this great way of making you feel quite joyful in the lessons, even though I was really terrible,' she laughed.
'And I wasn't very good at practising.'
La Roche is charmingly self-deprecating about her clarinet ability, but an old concert preview from long-time music critic William Dart offers some insight to the contrary.
'Her performance of Michael Finnissy's Marrgnu a few years ago, suspending columns of glistening arpeggios in mid-air, left me grasping for superlatives,' he wrote.
Her success, she said, is built on a line of some 'long-suffering teachers'.
She went to Gisborne Central School, Gisborne Intermediate and Gisborne Girls' High School.
'I know there were probably times when I tried their patience, and I'm grateful that they put up with me for as long as they did.'
While she did eventually have to leave Gisborne – as one must do when pursuing a career as an orchestral musician – she feels her upbringing gave her ingredients vital to her success.
'I feel so proud to have grown up in Gisborne … for me, it was a community that afforded huge opportunity,' she said.
'People were really keen to help me realise ambition, vision and hopes and really stood alongside me, behind me, encouraged me and opened doors for me.'
In Gisborne, we know how to get things done and find solutions through necessity, even if that means not always playing by the rules, she said.
'And thank goodness too that there's a strong history of really inspiring and strong women from Gisborne and up the coast.'
La Roche spent four years at the University of Auckland, followed by further studies at London's Royal Academy of Music.
After graduating, she spent most of her time performing and spent many years as principal clarinettist at the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
Eventually, she started taking on more administrative work, which led her to strategy and organisation management.
According to La Roche, it's been 'quite a shift', but underpinning it all is an abiding love for creativity and a belief that the arts add 'so much' to everyone's daily lives.
Despite living away from Tairāwhiti for some time, she has a deep appreciation for its arts scene.
'It matters to people there. They want to be involved. They want to see it. They want it [to be] part of their lives on a daily basis.'
She also pointed to the 'incredible craftsmanship, knowledge and expertise' of Ngā Toi Māori in the region, something she says is special and unique.
One of the things La Roche has been praised for is her ability to show compassion, fronting up to creatives and listening to their needs.
She wants to continue this in her new role.
Gisborne and many other communities have told her in the past that all they want are the tools, the investment, and the mandate to 'get on with it'.
She is looking forward to having more of these conversations and putting some serious investment on the table, on top of growing Aotearoa's recognition of the arts.
'We are doing our best to tell that story of why creativity matters,' she said.
She believes every New Zealander deserves the opportunity to experience the arts and wants to make sure, despite today's constrained environment, we avoid growing a divide between 'those that can access and those that can't'.
When asked if she plans to eventually return to Gisborne, she said she could not think of anywhere better to end up.
One day, when she is back performing, she'll keep a keen eye on the newspaper for any gigs going.
But for now, she's laser-focused on her new job, even as her clarinet looks at her accusingly from its corner.