Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is one of the most recognisable and successful New Zealanders ever. She is without question our superstar. In fact, she’s a world superstar – with her beautiful rich soprano voice.

Millions of people all around the world have heard Kiri Te Kanawa singing– in fact one billion people watched her on television as she sang at Gisborne to mark the new millennium.

This was not the first time that Kiri performed for a worldwide television audience. In 1981 she sang at the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, when 500 million people watched her.

Kiri was born in Gisborne in 1944. She was adopted by a Mäori father and a Päkehä mother. In 1959 Kiri’s family moved to Auckland so that she could go to St Mary’s Convent School. Here Kiri got singing lessons from Sister Mary Leo.

In 1965 Kiri won New Zealand’s major singing competition - the Mobil Song Quest. The same year, she moved to London so that she could keep on studying music. Since then Kiri has had a very successful singing career. In 1982 she became Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Although Kiri sang her last opera in 2002, she still sings in other concerts.

QUICK FACTS:

• Born: 1944
• Grew up: Gisborne, Blockhouse Bay
• Schools: Studied with Sister Mary Leo, St Mary’s Convent, Ponsonby
• Family: Married Desmond Park in 1967, with whom she adopted two children – Antonia and Thomas. The couple have since separated
• Claim to fame: Internationally successful opera singer; recipient of many awards including an OBE; DBE; Order of New Zealand