William Kingi is proudly Niuean, and from the villages of Tamakautoga and Hakupu, Niue, and calls South Auckland home. His Niuean heirtage continues to shape his approach to music-making, education, and community engagement, particularly in spaces where Pacific voices have historically been underrepresented.

Throughout high school and university, William studied piano performance under the late Heidi Bowick before going on to graduate from the University of Auckland, where he majored in musicology under the supervision of Dr. Davinia Caddy. Following the completion of his degree, he joined the Education Department at the Auckland Philharmonia as an intern, working under the guidance of Lee Martelli.

William’s professional journey has spanned music education in his hometown of Ōtara, South Auckland, and later on the outskirts of Shanghai, China, where he worked in diverse spaces that broadened his perspectives on learning, culture, and access to resources. Working across communities with vastly different levels of educational investment highlighted for him the significant influence that resourcing can have on young people’s confidence, aspirations, and outcomes – this continues to inform his approach to music education and community development.

Upon returning to Aotearoa in 2023, he served as Festival Coordinator and Community Outreach Lead for the Pacific Festival of Brass 2024 (an event that was later nominated for Best Community Event in 2025 at the NZ Event Awards). And in 2024, he was appointed Pasifika Navigator for Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand, alongside his ongoing role as Youth Advisor for SISTEMA Aotearoa.

In his role as Pasifika Navigator at Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand, he has helped shape initiatives designed to increase Pacific participation and leadership within the choral sector. In 2025, this included expanding the organisation’s Pasifika internship programme from 2 to 4 placements, delivering the first Pasifika Auditions Workshop pilot to improve access and participation in the New Zealand Youth Choir, and serving as the primary writer of Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific Strategy 26-28.

For William, these initiatives are part of a broader commitment to ensuring Pacific communities can not only see themselves reflected in Aotearoa’s cultural landscape, but also have the opportunity to contribute to, influence and shape the future of the choral arts sector.