30 July 2025

The Right Note

Ringatoi Ahuwhenua. Rural Creative.

writer: Felicity Connell

photographer: Sara Tansy 

Cellist, composer and teacher Caitlin Morris, along with her husband, Andrew Atkins, a pianist, conductor and teacher, found Kahutara in the South Wairarapa to be the perfect place to call home. Now, as co-founders of the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra, they are nurturing a new generation of musicians.

Walk past St David’s Church in Carterton on a Monday afternoon and you’ll hear a joyful sound – percussion, strings, woodwinds and brass. It might be the dramatic Star Wars theme or a catchy ABBA tune and, while the notes aren’t always perfect, the energy and enthusiasm are unmistakable – it’s the sound of the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra. Co-founding the orchestra in 2021 was Caitlin’s way of giving back. “When I lived in Blenheim, there was this tiny little youth orchestra. It was the best day of my week as a teenager. I just wanted to give that experience to students in the Wairarapa.”

Growing up, Caitlin, 30, learned piano and dabbled with guitar but, at fifteen, fell in love with the cello. That passion came with its own challenges, teaching her perseverance early on. “When I did my first cello lessons, I had to walk from one side of town to the other with my cello, because my parents were always very busy. So, I got to know the struggles of being a cellist – it’s a big instrument – carrying it around from a young age.” Caitlin’s talent and dedication led her to study at Te Kōkī Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand School of Music, where she completed a Master of Fine Arts in Music. It was also where she met her now-husband, Andrew, 32, a fellow student. After music school, an overseas experience working in London as a live-in nanny saw Caitlin take a temporary break from music, wanting to do something completely different. But music had a way of finding her. “The girls I looked after played Suzuki violin, and I got to observe all these amazing violin lessons and workshops by this incredible Suzuki violin teacher. It inspired me, just seeing how she commanded the room of students – all these tiny little tots – it was just amazing what she got them to do.”

While Caitlin enjoyed her time in London, love lured her home. “We were doing long distance, but we just couldn’t live apart any longer. Andrew actually came over and proposed to me. So I said, ‘Oh well, that’s it. I’ve got to go back to New Zealand now.’” After a short stint in Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui Wellington, they moved to Wairarapa ki te Tonga South Wairarapa. “We were looking for a place to rent, and Andrew’s second cousin had a place in Kahutara. We went over there, and we just ended up really loving the rural lifestyle.” Here, alongside their musical pursuits, they can indulge their shared passion for gardening and preserving. “Because both Andrew and I grew up in rural areas, we really love gardening and growing vegetables and living off the land. We are very happy in the garden together, as that is a bit of an outlet for us as well. We try and grow a bit of everything. We do a lot of preserving – just anything we have in the garden, we always just try and utilise it.”

Caitlin says that the youth orchestra is having a positive impact in the wider community. “There were a couple of people the other day at the concert and they were saying how much they enjoyed it. It does give them that buzz when they watch the kids trying their best and playing their hearts out – even though there’s a little mistake here and there, it’s still just about giving it your best go.”

Continue reading the full story in our Takurua Winter 2025 Edition.

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