Roger Buckton

Dr Roger Buckton and his family moved to Pūhoi in 1990 and discovered the rich world of Bohemian music Kiwi style. His professional music career and interest in early European music helped him appreciate that in his neighbourhood there was a wealth of European music which had been undergoing a transformation since the arrival of the early settlers in 1863. He quickly went about recording this music, and two cassettes (later CDs) and a documentary film for the University of Auckland were produced from 1993 to 1996.

After years of research and performances of the music, Buckton’s book Bohemian Journey: A Musical Heritage in Colonial New Zealand was published in time for Pūhoi’s 150th anniversary in 2013. The simultaneous publication of Judith Williams’s book It Takes a Whole Village: The People of Puhoi showed Buckton the cultural value of her collection of song and verse texts and was the catalyst for matching song texts and music to realise the rich heritage of song which was fast disappearing with the loss of the language.

Buckton was an adjunct associate-professor at the University of Canterbury and lectured in ethno-music, musicianship and music education. He continues to perform on the dudelsack, alongside other instruments of early music. His aim is to promote the songs and music in this collection so that these unique Kiwi-Bohemian musical gems take their place in the multicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.