Finding his voice

Blenheim-based musician and national rowing champion Tristan Sean Gregory-Hunt talks to Paula Hulburt about his passion for music and how autism has helped him in life.

It gleamed gold under the lounge room light, a shine and burnish to its brass that lit his smile. Heart thumping, he reached out slowly, smiling as the world around him slowed. Traffic paused in deference, the radio silenced, and the hum of the fridge faded away.

Holding the present – a treasured and much longed for saxophone of his own – Tristan held his future in his hands. Ever since he first heard the saxophone's sound in the early 2000s, he had fallen in love with it. Reflecting on that moment in Napier 12 years ago and the special gift he received, Tristan smiles. “The saxophone, from my mum Sarah and grandmother Diana, was one of the best presents I've ever had,” he says.

He pauses in thought, searching for the words to explain the saxophone's significance. “It was my very first saxophone and I’ve still got it. It was a really good one, a professional one. I was blown away. Until then, I’d been playing every day on a hired saxophone.”

After the death of his much-loved grandmother two years ago, the saxophone holds even more sentimental value for him.

Being able to express himself is not something the talented musician takes for granted, as the first six years of his life were silent. Diagnosed first with communication condition semantic pragmatic disorder and later with autism, Tristan did not talk until he was six-and-a-half years old.

He had difficulty processing information, but regular appointments with a specialist in Christchurch helped, and gradually, he began to speak. The clamour of words and notes he held inside finally found their voice.

With his friendly demeanour and a smile that has won him many fans, Tristan now talks openly about the disorders, but he has never let them define him. “People have judged me, but through my achievements, especially in music, they see who I am, not just my disorders.”

“I think being musical and autistic has actually helped me a lot. It helped me to express the characteristics of myself with emotions and who I am as a person with a story.”

Born in Christchurch and raised on the Chatham Islands, Tristan’s early memories are of freedom and space, of wild winds and sun-baked days. He attended primary school on the islands. It was, he says, a great start to life.

With less than 50 pupils, the school gave him many fond memories. Alongside his sister Tessa and “a lot of cousins,” his days were filled with friends and fun. “They didn’t label me at that school,” he explains, a hint of tougher times ahead.

He recalls working with his dad, Tim, on the fishing boats, the tang of salt on sun-tightened skin. “We were outside all the time; I barely even watched TV and was out at sea in dad’s fishing boat. I love the sea and later spent a couple of seasons fishing, crayfishing, and blue cod fishing.

“Being on the islands was like stepping back to a simpler time, I just didn’t know that then.”

During his high school years, he attended St John's College in Hastings from 2009 to 2013 and then became one of the prefects in his final year, overseeing sports and culture.

It was the lure of the water that ultimately led him and his family to move to Napier on the mainland in 2007. For not only is Tristan a talented musician, he is also a champion national rower.

Absent-mindedly wiping at a small grease spot on his hand – a hallmark of his engineering apprenticeship at Cuddon Engineering – he casually mentions that he’s “done a bit of rowing.” It is testament to Tristan’s innate modesty that it is only after much questioning he reveals his championship status.

It was at Hawkes Bay Rowing Club 2009 where Tristan discovered his passion and talent for a sport that saw him win the National Club Champs single sculls in 2017 and in 2023.

It was also what brought him to Marlborough at the end of 2016 when the Wairau Rowing Club approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse – a spot in their high-performance rowing programme.

He almost made it to the spot in the Elite Lightweight double scull, which was chasing for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Then rowing took him to England to race at the Henley Royal Regatta in 2019 under the New Zealand Barbarians Rowing Club row in the Eight.

But the road to fulfilling his potential, both as an athlete and a musician, has not been one easily trod at times.

“Moving to Napier, I had a really hard time,” Tristan explains, faltering slightly as his memories unfold. For a boy who grew up on an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, the mainland was something of a shock.

“My whole family moved to Napier and I missed the Chathams, but one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t be doing what I do today if we hadn’t done that.

“But there have been very hard times,” Tristan reflects. Unaware of any official medical diagnosis as a child, he simply strived to do his best, picking himself up again and again after each metaphorical knockdown.

“Talking to mum later on about it, she didn’t want to label me as autistic and when I found out, I didn’t talk about it for a couple of years. But I’ve opened up since then.

“I wanted to bring it [the autism] out into the open, but I was scared people would judge,” Tristan explains. People have judged, but it is his tenacity, his musical talent, his great skills as a rower, and his good nature that he is judged on. His autism is just a small part of the man he has become.

He is thankful for the opportunities he's had, he says, and for his parents who have always been there to support him. “It can’t have been easy for them. Back in the day, my parents tried to push for support and there was a lot of stress for them.”

“I’ve been quiet about the autism as I didn’t want people to know but then, a couple of years ago, I just opened up about it. It’s part of me.

“I do appreciate it, but it feels normal to me. Every day I learn more about what I can do.”

Pausing for thought, Tristan's fingers lightly tap out beats on the edge of the table, following a rhythm only he hears. Music is a huge part of who he is.

He’s performed at the Havelock Mussel Festival, in Picton for New Year’s Eve a couple of times, played at the Summer Sound Festival, Wine and Food Festival and opened for the likes of Stan Walker and Daniel Bedingfield. He played with Eden Kavanagh in Marlborough and was with a group called Colour Sway with his very close friends in Napier.

After attending the New Zealand School of Music for a year in Wellington in 2016, Tristan returned to Marlborough, where he is based, although his work as a musician takes him all over the country.

“On the musical side, things were really good, but my reading and writing screwed me,” he says. “I did okay, but essay writing and exams were hard for me.”

Now, he devotes a large part of his life to performing, recording, and tutoring. He also writes and records music for other artists, featuring on their albums and EPs (Extended Play).

He performs regularly at Fidelio Cafe & Wine Bar in Blenheim, doing his own duets with a pianist and jazz quartet also involved with Pizzas. He's also part of the 10-piece band Eclectic Fix, doing events around Marlborough. “There’s a really good music scene here in Marlborough; things are always active, and I’ve made some really good friends.”

“Every day I learn more. I practice two to three hours a day because I love what I do. I play the sax to relax, I just can’t sit still, I can’t stand that at all to be honest.”

Being a team player matters to Tristan, especially at Cuddon, where he is four years into his engineering apprenticeship. Describing it as the “best place” he has worked, he is grateful for the chance they have given him, he explains.

Indeed, Tristan is grateful for all life has given him. “I do what I love and let that guide me,” he explains. “Time is limited with rowing; I love the sport, but the older I get, the more it takes a toll. Music will always be part of my life; it’s one of those things I will never retire from. It has been and always will be in my blood.”