Harper finds his groove with Individualised Funding
Updated: 3 days ago
On the bustling Cake Tin concourse in Wellington, a young DJ was warming up the crowd ahead of the sold-out 2026 Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, with handpicked mixes of popular songs for the fans.
For many 14-year-olds, performing at a major sporting event would be a daunting prospect. But for Waikanae's Harper Ahern, aka DJ Harpz, it was just another gig, and the latest milestone in a growing musical career.
He wasn't even nervous.
“It doesn’t really matter where I play, as long as there’s people I’m happy,” Harper says, "I just love seeing how they react to different tracks.”
What began as a childhood interest in music has grown into a passion for DJing and Harper’s resume already includes Kapiti Coast community events, pop-ups on Wellington's waterfront and Lambton Quay, even beachside sets.
Harper’s mum Trish Ahern says music has been part of who he is since he was a boy.
"I remember getting him a keyboard when he was about six or seven years old. He just loved it and spent the whole day making little tunes and sounds."
Through DJing Trish has seen her son gain confidence and purpose, particularly as he’s navigated living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a severe form of MD that progresses quickly.
Diagnosed with DMD at age four, Harper has faced increasing physical challenges over the years because of the condition and lost the ability to walk in 2021. Learning he had DMD was devastating for Trish and her husband Dion.
"We'd been through a fairly difficult couple of years knowing that there was something going on, but we weren't quite sure what.”
As a young child Harper would play alongside his sister, however he was noticeably walking on his tiptoes, or toe walking, an early sign of DMD.
"Even so, the diagnosis came out of the blue because there's no family history or anything like that," Trish says.
Rather than look too far ahead, the family found a different way of approaching life.
"I used to always plan my future. I actually stopped doing that because it wasn't helpful. So, we just live in the present. Harper does as well."
Today he uses a power wheelchair full time, and the family home has been adapted over several years to make it accessible, with widened doorways, new flooring and renovated bathrooms.
As his DMD has progressed, Trish says Harper has met each stage with remarkable resilience.
"He's been amazing and just gotten on with it as best he can. He's done so amazing and inspires a lot of people around him.”
As Harper gradually lost the ability to participate in activities he loved – kicking around a ball, shooting hoops, being in the sea especially – his parents were determined to find new interests he could enjoy.
In late 2021, they were turned on to the Aotearoa DJ Academy in Wellington and every week made the hour-and-a-half round trip from Waikanae to the capital for Harper’s lessons.
Tucked away on Cuba Street, the venue wasn't particularly accessible, however his dad Dion would put Harper in his manual wheelchair and pull him up the steep flight of stairs, “which was a good workout for him”.
Harper formed a close bond with his disc jockey sensei and mentor DJ Shan (Shan Chng-Rawiri) at the academy, and under his tutelage dedicated himself to his craft.
The effort soon paid off.
In 2022 he was invited to play at a show in Paekākāriki by a well-known DJ collab based out of Paraparaumu called The Paepae Soundsystem.
Despite it being Harper’s debut gig and performing for 100 people, he was cool, calm and collected, Trish says. He was up on stage for over an hour and saw all his DJ lessons rewarded as the dancefloor got down to his set.
"I just played my best. A bit of reggae music at the start, and then I went into some house music. It was a cool experience," he says.
For Harper’s parents, who were watching on, it was a different story.
"We were more nervous than Harper, we didn’t tell him that though," Trish laughs.
Since his auspicious start, he has played school discos, the FIFA Women’s World Cup fan zone in Wellington in 2023 and is a regular at CubaDupa street festival. Not to mention he opened for NZ’s first-ever The Wiggles Sound System Festival in Mount Maunganui.
However, playing at the Hurricanes’ home games this year culminating in the final has easily been the highlight so far, his dad Dion says.
Harper carefully tailors every set to suit the audience and for stadium performances that means mixing familiar favourites with dance remixes.
"I'll try to keep in some songs that people maybe know but I'll get in a couple of mixes of those songs to keep it interesting," he says.
Seeing people stop on the way to their seats, smile and dance made it all worthwhile, he says, and “some of them looked quite surprised”.
Because Harper is homeschooled, Trish says DJing has been an important way for him to connect with his community.
“He’s quite isolated day-to-day, so it's really good he has his DJ events. Lots of people know who he is now."
Accessing disability support when Harper was eight has also helped, in particular Individualised Funding (IF). This was put forward as an option by Harper’s NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination) in Wellington, Capital Support.
Trish says IF has given the family greater control over how they use their funding, allowing them to arrange supports that suit their circumstances.
She adds that they made the right choice going with IF host Manawanui and is grateful for their help managing the funding and guidance.
“IF is vital for us. I pay myself to be Harper’s carer, plus my Mum who helps out once a week. We’ve bought equipment to support his disability needs as well."
In addition, Harper gets respite funding which Trish has used for a gym membership that enables her to reset and avoid burnout.
“It just gives me some time out of the house, somewhere to go for a break.”
The family also received a grant from Manawanui’s Fund for Good innovation programme in 2023, which Harper used to upgrade from a second-hand DJ controller (similar to decks) to a more current system.
When he’s not performing, Trish says he’s on it every single day practising.
While Harper is keen to keep honing his skills as a DJ, his five-year plan also includes learning how to produce music.
"That way I can play and mix my own tracks.”
He also hopes to collaborate with other artists and sees opportunities to build a career in music in the future.
He’s already rubbed shoulders with some high-profile names such as Kiwi hip-hop legend King Kapisi, who offered some sage advice about using social media to promote himself – Harper's Instagram handle is @dj_harpz.
For Trish, watching her son pursue his ambitions has reinforced what matters most.
“It's really just about supporting Harper, and our daughter as well, to follow their dreams,” she says.
After all the gigs he’s played, it’s clear Trish and Dion are still DJ Harpz’s biggest fans and, of course, busiest roadies too.
