TANZOS Dame Malvina Major Legacy Fund - Helping our opera singers take flight
Published on 26 May, 2026
From the Momentum Waikato Annual Report 2025 - see full report in PDF.
Te Pae Kōkako The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio launched the ‘TANZOS Dame Malvina Major Legacy Fund’ at the home of Lady Judi Gallagher on 20 November 2025, ahead of the 83rd birthday of the legendary Waikato soprano.
Housed at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at The University of Waikato, Te Pae Kōkako TANZOS has been led since its founding in 2022 by soprano Madeleine Pierard.
It is already enjoying remarkable early success in vaulting emerging opera singers into international professional careers. A notable example is tenor Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, a 2023 TANZOS graduate who was the first New Zealander to successfully audition at Covent Garden in London without having first trained overseas.
Dame Malvina Major and Patch. Photo: Dame Malvina Foundation.
Dame Malvina has said of TANZOS: “I feel my life’s work has culminated in this programme right here in New Zealand. I dreamed of this twenty years ago.”
Madeleine said the Fund is a major step towards ensuring Dame Malvina’s dream can go on forever and is thanks to a founding donation from The Sir William and Lady Judi Gallagher Foundation, which reflects Lady Judi’s long-time support for Dame Malvina’s vision.
“The TANZOS graduates are world class, and I believe they will take the opera world by storm. We are honoured to be part of their journey,” said Lady Judi.
Te Pae Kōkako means ‘the perch of the Kōkako’, where it gathers in strength before taking flight. The title was gifted by Professor Tom Roa as Te Mata Ahurangi of The University of Waikato, referencing the Ngāti Apakura tale of their tupuna, Pikirangi, who had a pet kōkako he trained to sing a song full of meaning for his iwi.
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