Tuning into Kaitiakitanga

Tuning into Kaitiakitanga: How the Datsuns Guitarist Phil Buscke Somervell is Giving Back to Hauraki Coromandel

When Phil Buscke Somervell recently returned home to Thames after a whirlwind tour across mainland Europe and Scandinavia, he didn’t just bring back stories of loud crowds and late-night gigs he brought back trees. Well, in a sense he did.

Phil plays rhythm guitar for The Datsuns and now calls Thames in Hauraki Coromandel home. “It’s such a great place to live and raise a family,” he says. “It’s almost the perfect little place. It’s close to Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, and I often head to those cities for shows, so it’s super easy. The airport’s right there too, so the world’s at your feet, really.”

Earlier this year, The Datsuns hit the road again. 16 shows in 16 cities across Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and England. But while music remains his passion, Phil was also thinking about home. Wanting to give back to the region that grounds him, he decided to donate a native tree for every show played on tour. Sixteen gigs, sixteen trees, each one planted at the Thames Mountain Bike Park, helping protect and enhance local biodiversity.

It’s a small gesture with lasting impact and it’s exactly what GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL – Kaitiaki is all about.

This initiative is about more than planting trees. It’s about connection to place. Whether you're a visitor who falls for the region’s beauty or a local who calls it home, it’s about giving back to the environment that gives us so much.

And the best part? You don’t need to be a rock star to get involved. Anyone can support local planting projects across Hauraki Coromandel. These projects are led by community groups and focused on protecting native wildlife, restoring ecosystems, and building a legacy for the future.

As Phil puts it, “Giving back doesn’t have to be huge or complicated. It’s just about doing something real for the place you love.”

Kaitiakitanga is about care. About showing up for the land, the wildlife, the people who call this place home, and those who come to experience it.