Jaqualyn Taimana Williams
Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to the creative works of Jaqualyn Taimana Williams (aka Jaqi) songwriter, musician, comedy performer, multiracial Kiwi mother of four and early childhood teacher.
Teaching Qualifications
BTchLg – Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Primary) 1999
GradDipECT – Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching 2014
Pēpeha
Ko Putauaki, ko Nuhiti, ko Kakepuku rātou ko Mauaongā maunga
Ko Rangitaiki, ko Hawai, rātou ko Waikato oku awa
Ko Ngati Porou rāua ko Tainui oku iwi
ko Ngati Apakura, ko Ngati Ranginui, ko Ngati Hau rātou ko Ngati Whakaara oku hapu
Ko Hinetamatea rāua ko Pirirakau oku marae
No Aotearoa ahau
“My DNA is predominantly Celtic/Māori and Scandinavian but I was raised by English and Australian adoptive parents. It’s a part of who I am as an artist – the sense of myself as being so culturally diverse as an individual in both nature and nurture that I’m free of the constraints of stereotyping.”
Career History
Clocking up thirty years of live performance including TV, radio and a tour of Germany in 1998 has given Jaqi a very strong base as an artist. Her music career began in 1987 at the Christchurch Arts Centre with a band of University students. “We were called The Statics, so when we broke up we happily became the ex-Statics.”
Qualifying as a New Zealand Primary School teacher in 1999 and an Early Childhood teacher in 2014, Jaqi currently works full time in a Waikato-based bilingual Māori early childhood centre.
“Writing children’s (and adult’s) songs in te reo and English, and working in a learning centre with geographical and biological whānau has been very healing and transformative for me because I was adopted out as a baby in a non-Māori system. I knew nothing about my heritage until I turned 19 and the law changed allowing me to uncover the truth of my own origins. Now I am receiving names and places and iwi – I hope to keep stitching these sacred links back together and offer my skills to the people I most genuinely want to help.”
Letting the knowledge and skills in two careers – education and music – “talk to each other” and employing musician/producer, Ian Rushton has produced two lovable didactic collections of bilingual te reo children’s songs, Waiata Tamariki (2018) and 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘛𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪 2(2022).”
Collaborating with producer/musician Tim Skedden ( The Feelers, Op Shop, Babysitters Circus) has enabled Jaqi to show off the depth and range of her highly accessible and engaging songwriting ability.
After years of playing rock/reggae/country/pop cover songs in and around Christchurch and still plugging away writing and performing my own songs in a variety of edgy styles, it is a personal triumph of sorts to me to have finally released this massive autobiographical 16 track alt rock/pop album. Statues Of Liberty. released in October 2019 was celebrated with an album erelease event at Anthology Lounge, K Rd.
Over the next 12 months, Jaqi is releasing three new bilingual children’s songs and the album 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘛𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪 2 as well as a four-track rock EP 𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘖𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦. Funding from NZ On Air is assisting in the creation of videos for the three children’s songs. Read More
