95bFM Breakfast host receives conjoint degree

University of Auckland graduate and 95bFM Breakfast host Rosetta Stone swapped her mic for a gown and trencher, crossing the stage on 7 May to receive her conjoint Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees.

Stone, who majored in Communications and Popular Music, is a familiar voice to thousands of listeners each morning on Aotearoa’s longest-running student radio station. She says graduating was a grounding reminder of her achievements so far.

“It feels really special to reflect on the pathway that led me to bFM, and the way university study has deepened my connection to music, media and community.”

From Te Whanganui a Tara to Tāmaki Makaurau

“Tēnā rā koutou, ko Rosetta Stone tōku ingoa, nō Te Whanganui a Tara ahau,” she says. Stone (England, Ireland, Scotland and France) grew up in Newtown, Wellington with her parents and two older brothers.

Her upbringing was shaped by creativity, political engagement and community. During her teenage years, Stone and her parents Sarah Taverner and Matthew Stone spent four and a half years living in Paris where her father was working. The experience broadened her worldview and deepened her interest in culture and storytelling.

“Music was always central in our household,” she says. “It was part of how we connected with people, ideas and the world.”

Studying music, media and meaning

In 2022, Stone moved to Tāmaki Makaurau to begin her studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau, enrolling in a conjoint degree that allowed her to pursue a wide variety of interests.

“Music has always been a huge part of my identity - singing, playing guitar, writing songs - but I didn’t want a purely classical or jazz pathway,” she says. “I was looking for something that spoke to contemporary music, identity and storytelling.”

Pairing her Bachelor of Music with a Bachelor of Arts with a Communications major, proved transformative.

“That decision really expanded my thinking about media, data sovereignty and the ethics of the digital age,” she says. “Especially how those issues affect the wairua of our arts and music ecosystems. I knew I wanted a career where I could uplift others and contribute to music culture beyond being centre-stage.”

Finding community at 95bFM

Stone’s connection to 95bFM began in her second year at the University, when she joined the station as a news writer, and in turn discovered her second whānau.

“bFM is full of passionate, dedicated people - a safe haven for nerds and freaks,” she says. “It’s a real taonga. There’s so much within Aotearoa music, student culture and the Auckland underground scene that exists and thrives because of bFM.”

She also credits University mentors and lecturers, including Godfrey De Grut and Dr Tiopira McDowell, with helping to nurture her creativity and broaden her horizons, alongside friends and collaborators she met during her studies.

While completing her degree, Stone has worn multiple hats across the music sector: volunteering at bFM, interning through the NZ Music Commission’s Industry Internship Programme, mentoring young women and gender-diverse youth with Girls Rock to the Front, working at Flying Out, performing and releasing music with her band Psycho Gab, and DJing across the city.

In July last year, she was offered her “dream job”: co-hosting the 95bFM Breakfast Show.

“It made for an interesting final semester,” she says. “Full-time study alongside five days a week of breakfast radio!”

Now, she’s excited to continue her mahi at bFM while remaining deeply embedded in the wider music community – from mentoring and panel moderation to live performance, music journalism, and DJ sets.

“You’ll probably find me at Whammy Bar or somewhere on Karangahape Road most weekends,” she says.