New NZCF Board Leadership
5 Jun 2025
We’re pleased to announce the election of Pete Rainey as Chair of the NZCF Governance Board. Pete joined the Board in 2020 and served as Deputy Chair from 2022.
Pete grew up in Nelson where he was a member of the Nelson Cathedral Choir, Polyhymnos, and the Nelson Civic Choir. He graduated B.Mus. from Canterbury University, trained as a secondary school teacher, and held HOD Music roles at Hornby High School and Nelson College for Girls. He was a member of the inaugural NZ National Youth Choir and the National Youth Orchestra.
As a conductor, Pete was founding Musical Director of the National Male Choir, a former conductor of the Nelson Civic Choir and is the current conductor of Chroma Chamber Choir. Other choirs Pete has conducted include Polyhymnos Chamber Choir, Nelson College for Girls Senior Choir, the Addington Railway Workshops Male Voice Choir, Christ’s College Chapel Choir, Christchurch Youth Choir and the Nelson Male Voice Choir.
He continues to play viola and violin with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra and NCMA Chamber orchestra. Pete has been the artistic director of Opera in the Park in Nelson since 1999.
Pete is an event producer, and his company Rockquest Promotions Ltd has been producing nationwide music events, including the Smokefreerockquest Secondary Music Competition, for over 30 years.
Pete has extensive governance experience, currently as a fifth-term Nelson City Councillor, as well as holding board positions with local arts organisations including the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts (formerly Nelson School of Music). He was awarded the MNZM for services to music in 2013.
Were excited to have Pete, alongside Deputy Chair Kim Cunningham, lead NZCF in championing Aotearoa New Zealand as a singing nation.