Welcome back for another week and another new guest, this is episode 251 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T and Yeastie Boys  and thanks to you readers and listeners.

Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there and have it saved in your Spotify library. It’s on most of the podcast platforms besides the ones mentioned here.

This one is a conversation with Mere Boynton. She is a singer and actor. She works in arts administration – she is the newly appointed Director Ngā Toi Māori for Tāwhiri, the organisation that produces the New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Wellington Jazz Festival, Lexus Song Quest and other major events.

But chances are, you know Mere Boynton from her role as “Mavis” the karaoke singing friend of Beth Heke in the Kiwi classic, Once Were Warriors. Boynton trained as an opera singer, ahead of that she was part of a touring reggae band. Singing pop songs in a movie was never really part of the plan. But she is proud of that film and her part in it.

Since then she’s travelled the country and indeed the world – singing and on stage as a theatre performer and producer.

This conversation was recorded on my back-up device (so apologies for the mix) in Hawke’s Bay over the recent summer holiday.

This was my first time meeting Boynton though we’ve had some correspondence over the years. It was great to finally meet her and have this conversation.

And now I hope you enjoy hearing it.

This is episode 251 of Sweetman Podcast – my conversation with Mere Boynton.

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