A quiet, solitary space is what I need most when I am actually composing. Nevertheless, I do value the collaboration experiences that inform many of my compositions. "Te Tangi A Te Matui" (1986) my first major composition, is one example. For this solo flute and voice piece, several people made important contributions: first, I consulted Teariki Mei, my te reo Maori teacher, about including in an appropriate way the traditional Maori karakia; the flute player, Joanne Averill, and I explored a range of flute techniques; Tiahuia Gray assisted Joanne's pronunciation of Maori language; and finally, the Ngati Poneke whanau approved my composition when Joanne played the piece at Pipitea Marae.