Photography: Hagen Hopkins.
When Ainslie Allen opens the door of her cosy rural Porirua home, she’s holding a cup of green tea in one hand while her four-year-old Te Kāhukikorangi, whom she affectionately calls “the little chief”, races around behind her.
Her mum Chrissie is called over from her home 50m away and her 13-year-old son Emerson graciously joins in for the group family photo. It’s a fitting scene for the country singer-songwriter whose
life has swung between the spotlight and the gentle chaos of solo motherhood.
Most Kiwis first met Ainslie as a bright-eyed teen on McDonald’s Young Entertainers, the hit ’90s talent show hosted by Jason Gunn that turned local kids into household names overnight. She was just 15 when she stepped into Avalon Studios for the first time with her trademark blonde curls, feeling she was exactly where she was meant to be.
A studio etched in memory
“I can still smell that studio in my memories,” laughs Ainslie, 45.
“They were some of the best days of my life. There was no social media, so everyone was watching on a Sunday night. That show is still etched in many New Zealanders’ brains!”
Those whirlwind years kicked off a career that took her around the world – singing the national anthem at All Blacks matches, touring in Italy and France with a cultural dance troupe, performing across Australia with John Rowles, and even travelling to East Timor to entertain Kiwi soldiers with comedians Mike King, Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour.
Performing at numerous Christmas In The Park events, plus the opening of the Sky Tower and the very first McCafé, Ainslie’s success didn’t surprise her mum, who spent years driving her and her sister to dance lessons, tap exams and late-night practices.
“Dad worked six jobs at one stage just to get us through dancing and competitions,” recalls Ainslie.
“Gaz was my stepfather, but he was the dad I knew – a beautiful man. I wish he’d been alive to meet my kids.”
Her biological father re-entered her life only after she was on TV.
Ainslie shares, “Suddenly birthday cards started arriving signed ‘Dad’. It was confusing after not having him around in my younger years.”
Finding family in Gisborne
Though their relationship never recovered before he passed away, Ainslie, who is of Rongowhakaata descent, was always lovingly embraced by his extended family in Gisborne.
“When I was there, I’d go to kapa haka practice and visit whānau,” she explains.
“I’d missed that connection as a kid – they wrapped their arms around me.”
Her Māori heritage has since become a defining part of her artistry. She’s released several singles in te reo, including the heartfelt Taku Māmā for Māori Language Week, saying she’s completely at home blending her heritage with country lyrics.
“I feel comfortable in that realm – it resonates with me.”
But behind the music andvtours, Ainslie’s life has also been defined by resilience and overcoming challenges she hasn’t yet publicly spoken of. At 32, she became a mum to Emerson. What should have been a joyful new beginning quickly turned into a nine-year ordeal of court battles and fear.
“It got quite scary,” she recalls.
“When Emerson was about six months and I was still breastfeeding, his dad took him away from me for two nights. Later, he’d kidnap Emerson out the bathroom window. Or he’d sit at the end of the driveway, watching us. He was manipulative and emotionally controlling.”
When life forced a pause
Police became involved. A protection order was put in place. Exhausted, terrified and juggling motherhood alone, Ainslie had no choice but to put her career on hold.
“I’d just cry on the kitchen floor at night,” she admits.
“I worked so hard for music, but I didn’t have any capacity to focus on it. I was just trying to survive for this beautiful boy.”
She says the album that eventually emerged, Betty, released in 2021 and named after her nan, carries all that pain, clarity and healing. Thankfully, life has evolved since then. Ainslie gave birth to son Te Kāhukikorangi, whose father is still in the picture, although he and Ainslie are no longer together.
Named after all the swamp harriers (kāhu) she saw when pregnant and the colour sky blue (kikorangi), his arrival was something she’d long wished for.
“I knew I wanted someone for Emerson to grow up with,” she tells.
“As they get older, my boys always have each other. They are absolutely my life.”
Finding peace on the family farm
The family of three now lives on a peaceful rural block, sharing the property with Chrissie and another woman, all of them in separate houses.
Ainslie jokes, “It’s a single lady’s farm.”
There’s a running river, no neighbours and the sense of finally being safe.
“It’s my getaway. I come home and instantly chill.”
Mum Chrissie, 74, is still her rock, helping with the boys when Ainslie is performing.
“She’s my best buddy,” Ainslie tells.
“We share the cooking and support each other. I couldn’t do any of this without her.”
Following mum’s footsteps
In fact, Ainslie is following in her mum’s footsteps, embracing a second career in real estate with Bayleys in Paremata, near Wellington.
“I needed something steady,” she explains.
“I was doing six gigs a week after COVID – everyone wanted weddings and parties – but 2024 slowed down. “Real estate was on the cards after seeing Mum do it for years. It’s about the people for me and that’s what real estate is all about.”
But performing will always have Ainslie’s heart. She continues to sing at Christmas shows, events, concerts and pubs – and a second album is firmly in her sights.
She grins “I just need to find the space between kids, gigs and selling houses!”
