Waiata Magazine, Issue 3, July 2012

issue 3 hōtoke / winter 2012

MUSIC FROM THE HEART

industry award

Honours for Billy Karaitiana

Warren Maxwell

master

Barefoot divas

of Ceremony Te Hamua Nikora

Advocates for indigenous artists

Waiata Showcase

The ultimate talent quest

Kirsten Te rito Jayson NORRIS Seth HAAPU Six60’s Eli PAEWAI

riahall The Export-Quality Voice Performing at this year’s 5th annual National Waiata Maori Music Awards

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Roots Reggae

Knights of the Dub Table, Black Seeds www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

The Kumpnee

Maori boys making it in Australia

www.waiatamaorIawards.co.nz

Nga Tae

The group of many colours HOTEKE/WINTER 2012 |

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issue 3 Hotoke

Rarangi Upoko Editor: Tama Huata tama.kahurangi@xtra.co.nz Advertising: Kylie Stafford kylie@primal.org.nz Editorial: Lawrence Gullery Tania McCauley Api Te Rangi Chloe Johnson Design: Lawrence Gullery Photography: Paul Taylor Glenn Taylor Andrew Labett Lawrence Gullery Todd Ward Printing: Format Print Publisher: Waiata Maori Music Awards Trust, 706 Albert St, Hastings, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.

PO Box 1368, Hastings, New Zealand.

Circulation: Waiata is published biannually, 5000 copies printed each edition. Available direct by subscription and free through selected sites.

For details, email: kylie@primal.org.nz or phone +64 6 873 0041 All contents and design remain property of the Takitimu Trust.

All rights reserved.

Official website: www.waiatamaoriawards. co.nz Facebook: @ Waiata Maori Music Awards

www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

2 Nga Mihi

Message from the executive director, Tama Huata.

3 2012 programme

14-15

A sneak preview of this year’s awards event.

4 Our icons

Contents

Ria Hall

The songtress from Tauranga reflects on her Rugby World Cup performance ahead of her debut at the Waiata Maori Music Awards.

8 Barefoot Divas

18-19 Talent quest 20-21 Maori overseas

9 Album No.2

22 Mistee K

10 Music from the heart

23

The nominated award winners revealed for 2012.

Producer Vicki Gordon on promoting indigenous music.

An initiative to find new recording artists about to go national.

The Kumpnee in Australia and Jayson Norris in the UK.

R’n’B singer Pieter T begins work on his second album.

A sailor chases her dream of performing and recording music.

Warren Maxwell’s experience with Songs From The Inside.

11

Six60 Drummer Eli Paewai on his journey with the popular band.

12 Te Rito

Family forms the base for Kirsten Te Rito’s new work.

13

Ngatapa Black The new producer for Waiata Maori Music Awards.

16 Road to recovery

Entertainer Te Hamua Nikora becomes advocate for mens health.

Lyrics that last Singer and producer Huia Hamon on tips for writing songs.

24-25 Reviews/profile

Tania McCauley and Apikara Te Rangi review six albums & Seth Haapu on his debut album.

26-27 Band profiles

Black Seeds & Knights of the Dub Table.

28 Kapa haka

Qualifiers for Te Matatini 2013.

Singer Majic Paora (left) was a guest performer at last year’s National Waiata Maori Music Awards and is planning to launch her new album at this year’s awards.

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Nga mihi

Tama Huata

Our quest begins TO FIND NEW TALENT

Quest winner, Simone Holland.

The national waiata maori music awards is developing an initiaitive which provides a chance for aspiring singers and performers to rub shoulders with the best maori music has to offer.

The National Waiata Maori Music Awards reaches a major milestone this year celebrating its 5th birthday.

The awards will continue to be held at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings, where it began its inaugural outing in 2008.

Since then we have celebrated 21 artists who have been judged award winners and it is hoped they have used these titles to propel their careers further. Over the years we have also recognised 19 people in the nominated award section, recognising their long-time contribution to the Maori music industry.

The mandate of the awards is to produce and

‘Maori talent brings something unique to the performing stage’ maintain a music competition that is open to all Maori music industry professionals and this year we are taking that kaupapa one step further.

We have embarked on a new initiative heading out into the regions to uncover the wealth of musical talent in our communities.

First stop was the Maniapoto district, from Te Awamutu in the north to Taumarunui in the south, where we have developed a partnership with Maniapoto FM to set up a talent quest competition with the aim of finding new recording artists.

The aim was to hold auditions in Te Awamutu, Otorohanga and Te Kuiti to select the best contestants to go forward to a final competition show. All of the entrants competed for a chance to be part of the Waiata Workshop where they were mentored by some of our top Maori artists working in the music industry.

The whole event culminated in a showcase concert at the Waitomo Cultural and Arts Centre on May 26, where the contestants performed with their mentors from the Waiata Workshop.

We hope this initiative will grow into an annual event, where we can hold the talent quest in a different region each year. With the popularity of television reality shows like The X-Factor and Idol, there is a hunger by the recording industry to discover new talent every year.

And Maori talent brings something unique to the performing stage and recording studios of the world. Too many of our talented people hide in their garage or local club when the could be making a wonderful living as artists.

That is why we started the talent search. The winner of the inaugural competition, Simone Holland from Te Kuiti, will perform at this year’s National Waiata Maori Music Awards in

learn

September. It will be a chance for her to rub shoulders with other performing artists, such as Tiki Taane, Ria Hall and Te Awanui (Awa) Reeder, who are three of the guest performers at this year’s awards ceremony.

There will also be a chance to perform for and speak to some of New Zealand recording industry representatives, who will attend the awards. There’s a real chance Simone, and the future winners of the talent quest, can find a path towards recording contracts or touring with professional groups.

This year’s awards ceremony is also under the guidance of a new producer. Ngatapa Black, herself a former awards finalist and guest performer, has been confirmed in the role as producer and is looking for to the challenge of taking the event to a new level.

This year we also honour a new group of Maori icons in the music industry, in the nominated award section, and their stories appear in this magazine and be retold during the awards ceremony in September. For those coming to the ceremony this year, expect to see an opening number which portrays the voyage of our ancestors from the Pacific to Aotearoa.

Tama Huata, executive director Waiata Maori Music Awards

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Waiata Maori music 2012 Programme Details

About the awards The annual National Waiata Maori Music Awards is a two-day event held across three venues inside the historic Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings, New Zealand.

This year’s events and dates: Maori Music Expo: Music industry leaders share their advice in public discussion panels, workshops of musical instruments and kapa haka performances. Held in the Hawke’s Bay Opera House Plaza from 9.30am to 3pm on Thursday, September 13 to Friday, September 14.

Te Koanga Fashion Show: See some of the best Maori designers have to offer at Te Koanga, which celebrates the new spring season, representing new beginnings. Held in the Assembly Room of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, from 7pm on Thursday, September 13.

Breakfast with the artists: Meet and hear presentations from some of the guest artists and finalists from this year’s awards. Held in the Shakespeare Room at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House, from 8am, on Friday, September 14.

Waiata Maori Music Awards ceremony: Who will be among this year’s winners? Find out at the awards ceremony co-hosted

by MCs Te Hamua Nikora and William Winitana. The ceremony is recorded by Maori Television for delayed broadcast. Held in the Hawke’s Bay Opera House theatre, from 7pm, Friday, September 14.

Tiki Taane will be one of the guest performers at this year’s awards.

For more info: www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

Promoting diversity of Maori Music Tiki Taane, Te Awanui Reeder, RIa Hall and Anna COddington are among the guest performers at the 5th annual waiata maori music awards, a must-see two-day event held in Hawke’s Bay. This year’s National Waiata Maori Music Awards will celebrate its fifth birthday with a host of performers and music industry activities to be held at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings, from September 13-14.

The mission of the Waiata Maori Music Awards is to acknowledge and honour the keepers, teachers, promoters, creators and performers of Maori music.

It is a two-day event which aims to develop and promote the diversity of all Maori music to showcase and celebrate the excellence of Maori music, to recognise the unique vision of Maori composers and musicians and to enrich this rich cultural voice.

Well-known performer Tiki Taane, who took home three awards in 2011, will this year make his debut appearance as a guest performer at the awards ceremony on Friday, September 14.

Te Awanui (Awa) Reeder, the former lead singer for Nesian Mystic, a former winner at the 2009 awards, has also been named as a performing guest artist for this year’s programme.

Singer Ria Hall, who performed at the the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony last year, will also be a guest performer at this year’s awards ceremony.

The Maori Music Expo, Te Koanga Fashion Show and Breakfast With The Artists will once again form part of this year’s programme.

The expo is over two days on the mornings of September 13 and 14.

It is a chance to hear from some of the country’s leaders in the music industry, through panel discussions covering topics such as traditional and contemporary Maori music, workshops on traditional Maori instruments and performances by kapa haka groups.

Te Koanga Fashion Show fuses Maori fashion with Maori music and will be held on the evening of September 13.

to the national iwi A combination of national station network. designers and designers working in the host There are two award region of Hawke’s Bay will sections, Open and have some of their best Nominated. pieces of work on show.

The Open section is Meet with the stars judged independently of Maori music at the by a panel of judges Breakfast With The Artist from around the event on the morning of country who have Friday, September 14. experience in all areas Te Awanui Reeder. of the music industry.

The grand finale event on the programme is the There are nine awards Waiata Maori Music Awards being contested. ceremony, which will be held on The Nominated Awards are not the evening of Friday, September judged but aim to nominate and 14. recognise those people who have It will be recorded live for delayed achieved or delivered a significant broadcast by Maori Television and contribution to Maori music over broadcast live by Radio Kahungunu the years.

RADIO KAHUNGUNU RADIO KAHUNGUNU TE REO IRIRANGI O NGATI KAHUNGUNU TE REO IRIRANGI O NGATI KAHUNGUNU radio IwiIwi radio broadcaster broadcaster Iwi radio ofof the Waiata Maori the Waiata broadcaster of Awards Maori Awards. theMusic Waiata Maori Awards.

Supporting Supporting

Supporting kaiwaiata kaiwaiata kaiwaiata throughout throughout throughout Aotearoa.

Aotearoa Aotearoa.

Listen online,

Listen online to the Listen online, Awards Night awards ceremony, Awards Night September 8, September8,14, September 2011.

2012 2011.

Ph: (06) (06) 872 8728943 8943oror0800 0800TAONGA TAONGA Ph: www.radiokahungunu.co.nz www.radiokahungunu.co.nz SKYPE:radio.kahungunu radio.kahungunu SKYPE: HOTEKE/WINTER 2012 |

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NOMINATED AWARDS 2012 Te Aritaua Pitama, 1906-1958

INTRODUCTION The Nominated Awards recognise those who have made a significant contribution to the industry. These categories are not judged but are awarded to highlight the work of past and present performers, singers and song writers working in the Maori music sector. Some of this year’s recipients are profiled over the next four pages.

Tohu - Te Puna O Te Ki O Nehe (Iconic Maori Music Composers Award - Historical) This is an individual that has composed a body of work in Te Reo Maori, from traditional & historical teachings in contemporary or traditional styles that has impacted on the development of Maori Music.

This award is selected by He Kura Te Tangata, the organisation responsible for the preservation of traditional Maori performing arts. This year awarded to Te Aritaua Pitama.

TOHU - AHUMAHI PUORU (Maori Music Industry Award) An individual, Maori or nonMaori, who is or has been active in the New Zealand music industry (production, promotion, operations, management) who has, through their dedication to Maori music, make a positive impact on Maori music.

This year awarded to Billy Karaitiana.

Tohu - Mauriora o te ao puoru maori (Lifetime Contribution to Maori Music Award) This is an individual who has dedicated a large part of their life and career to the promotion and development of Maori music in contemporary or traditional styles.

This year jointly awarded to the late Dr Hirini Melbourne and Dr Richard Nunns.

The Keeper of Traditions Award. This is an individual, who is or has been dedicated to the teaching of Māori culture in music. This year awarded to Mita Mohi.

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a ngai tahu leader, teacher, broadcaster and concert party producer is the recipient of the iconic maori composers award at this year’s waiata maori music awards.

Deeds which inspire NEW GENERATIONS

Te Aritaua Pitama was born on February 23, 1906 at Tuahiwi, a Maori settlement north of Kaiapoi.

He was the eldest of 12 children of Wereta Tainui Pitama, also known as Te Ruapohatu or ‘Stone’ Pitama, and his wife, Te Hauraraka Anipi Manakore Maaka.

Te Aritaua (pictured) was brought up to be fluent in Maori. His mother, Manakore, trained him in whakapapa and he was also a pupil of Teone Taare Tikao. He went Christ’s College, Christchurch, from 1918 to 1924, which gave him the advantage of being bilingual.

After leaving school he was attracted to the Ratana movement. With his mother he taught at the Ratana pa school, before working for a period for a Palmerston North newspaper.

He married Ethel Winifred Ball at Palmerston North in 1931. They had no children but fostered many.

By 1934 Te Aritaua had returned to Tuahiwi, where he worked as a labourer and although not yet 30, he was regarded as one of the kaumatua there at the time of the visit of Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana, the founder of the Ratana church and political party.

Te Aritaua arranged for the mayor of Christchurch, D. G. Sullivan, to visit Tuahiwi during Ratana’s visit, to discuss the movement. Te Aritaua passed on Ratana’s offer of a concert party to assist the mayor in fundraising for the Mayor’s Relief of Distress Fund, and extended an invitation to the duke of Gloucester to visit Tuahiwi.

Te Aritaua was put in charge of the Maori reception arrangements when the duke visited Christchurch.

Following the alliance of the Ratana movement and the New Zealand Labour Party, Te Aritaua worked to establish the party among Maori in the South Island, and was an election organiser for Eruera Tirikatene. In 1936 he was a member of the party’s Maori Organising Committee.

In 1937 Colin Scrimgeour of the National Commercial Broadcasting Service recruited Te Aritaua as one of a team of Maori announcers for the ZB stations. From 1945, with the co-operation of the head teacher, he began training the older children of the Tuahiwi primary school in Maori waiata, haka and poi dances, and also in Latin motets, hymns and carols.

He took his troupe on a short tour: four concerts and visits to Pakeha schools. This was followed by “commercial” concerts in the North and South Islands to raise funds to allow the group to visit Wellington to

welcome home the 28 New Zealand (Maori) Battalion.

In January 1946 the group of about two-dozen children, billed as Te Roopu Pipiwharauroa (or sometimes as Te Roopu Tamariki of Tuahiwi), performed a programme called Maori Cavalcade in the Town Hall in Wellington and later in Palmerston North.

Te Aritaua compèred the show which continued around the South Island in August, 1946. He explained it was intended to portray the history of Maori in song and dance from the first arrival of Ngahue in Te Wai Pounamu to the departure of the Maori Battalion in 1940. Te Aritaua also said none of the children under his charge could speak a connected sentence in Maori and he hoped to introduce them to their culture. The group visited all the main centres of the South Island, travelling more than 800 miles by bus.

In December 1950 he resurrected Te Roopu Pipiwharauroa. He wanted to raise funds to renew the marae and meeting house at Tuahiwi and to pay for a carved gateway planned as a memorial to the fallen South Island members of the Maori Battalion.

By this time he revived an earlier idea for an urban marae in Christchurch.

Nga Hau e Wha national marae was eventually opened after his death, using kawa established by Te Aritaua.

He was elected to the Ngaitahu Trust Board in 1953, representing the Akaroa district. In June 1957 he advocated the board move its offices from Kaiapoi to Christchurch as he felt such a move would be in the interests of the majority of beneficiaries. After his death, the board carried out his suggestion. Te Aritaua became a Roman Catholic in 1957. He died aged 52 on March 14, 1958, in Christchurch and was buried at Rapaki. He was survived by his wife, four brothers and four sisters. n Reference material provided by Angela Ballara and Riki Te Mairaki Pitama: “Pitama, Te Aritaua - Biography”, from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated September 1, 2010. Web: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/ biographies/5p29/

NOMINATED AWARDS 2012

Billy Karaitiana

Q&A: Billy Karaitiana Which was your favourite band to perform and work with?

They are all special but, the band that stands out would be Geoff Castle’s band Strange Fruit and Ray Columbus & the Invaders were special for being the first NZ band to break in to No.1 in Australia.

Do you have a favourite venue or gig which is memorable?

The Philadelphia Spectrum was a good gig when Night was support for the Doobie Bros. in 1979, 23.000 people in doors, what a buzz.

What was the secret to your success behind the two albums you produced for Herbs?

I like to see a band working hard to get the feels right Herbs and 1814 are both hard working bands, they both would rehearse until they got what they wanted from the music. I had many enjoyable days in preproduction with both bands. And what makes a good album? Good Music!

What advice do you give for people starting out in a career in the music industry?

When I started out, I wanted to make a difference, to stand out in some way. I think I’ve done that. You don’t have to be the greatest just do the gig.

Entertainment IN THE BLOOD Te Aritaua Pitama.

A man who has dedicated a lifetime to the music industry continues to give to others through his tireless work in the recording studio of his production business in Northland.

Wiremu Aata Te Rangi-amoa Karaitiana, also now as Billy Karaitiana or Billy Kristian, pictured above, is from a family of entertainers.

His father, Kahu Kuranui was a tenor who worked with Peter Logan and his Hawaiian Serenaders, Tommy and Rose Kahi, Martin Winiata, The Tui’s with Monty Graham, The Katherine Dunham Show and Porgy and Bess with Inia Te Wiata in 1964.

Billy’s mother Violet Edith was an expert of the hula and led a troupe of dancers and singers from the 1940s to 1960s.

Billy’s own career started in 1958 when Ray Columbus asked him to join his band. But a year later Billy moved on to join Saki and the Jive Five. In 1960 and 1961 Billy was with Max Merritt and the Meteors and in 1962 went back to work with Ray Columbus who by then had formed the Invaders. He then rejoined Max Merritt and the Meteors. The Keil Isles www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

were next, followed by the C’Mon Showband and the Jimmy Sloggett Band. In 1969 Billy left for Hong Kong to join Renaissance International whom he worked with for two years. On his return to New Zealand, 1971, he was asked by friend Tommy Adderley to join the Headband, which played many tours throughout the country.

Billy went to Australia in 1975 and joined Billy Thorpe’s Million Dollar Bill. In 1976 Billy made his way overland to London from Kathmandu where he and friends, Chris Thompson and Michael Walker, formed Filthy McNasty, a blues band which played at the Bridgehouse in east Canning Town E16.

Pacific Eardrum was the next band Billy joined in 1977. While in England he was working with some of London’s top musicians and joined Ian Carr’s Nucleus. Billy performed with Nucleus at the first Jazz Yatra in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, 1978. Filthy McNasty signed a deal for two albums for worldwide release with Richard Perry of Planet Records. Two songs from the first album went in to the Billboard Top 20. Hot

WITH A CAREER SPANNING SIX DECADES, BILLY KARAITIANA IS RECOGNISED WITH A MAORI MUSIC INDUSTRY AWARD IN 2012.

Summer Night at No.18 and If You Remember Me at No.17. While recording the first album in Los Angeles, the name of the band was changed to Night and it toured as support for the Doobie Brothers, Summer Tour 1979. Billy returned home to New Zealand in 1983 and started the band Billboard.

He then managed Mascot Recording Studios and produced two albums for Pacific-reggae band, Herbs. The first, Long Ago, went gold and the second album, Sensitive to a Smile, went platinum. Billy and his long-time partner Tric Mateparae started their own studio in Auckland called Muscle Music. After 12 years they moved to Northland and produced 12 albums there, three of them being Tui Award Winners.

More recently Billy has worked with popular northland reggae band, 1814. He also featured on Maori Television’s Unsung Heroes of Maori Music in 2011, which profiled entertainers and musicians whose contributions have been largely unrecognised.

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NOMINATED AWARDS 2012 Hirini Melbourne

Former waiata maori music award winners have contributed to a project which aims to promote the philosophy of a well-known maori composer.

Tuakana-taina model FOR MAKING MUSIC A new album of music reworking the Maori language masterpieces of the late Dr Hirini Sidney Melbourne, is the forerunner to a unique multimedia resource.

The album was released this year and is timely as Dr Melbourne is also the joint recipient of the Lifetime Contribution to Maori Music Award, along with Richard Nunns from Nga Tae, at this year’s National Waiata Maori Music Awards.

The album, He Rangi Paihuarere, comprises collaborative interpretations, by established and emerging Maori musicians, of melodies composed

by Dr Melbourne, a renowned songwriter, music educator and author.

Credited with the revival of taonga puoro, or traditional Maori musical instruments, Dr Melbourne encouraged tuakana-taina (olderyounger) mentoring in the industry.

The CD is part of a larger project based on this philosophy, with experienced musicians working alongside up-and-coming rangatahi talent.

The educational resource will include a DVD documentary and booklet tracking the entire recording process, allowing artists to share their knowledge and skills. It was launched by record label, Black Media, in time for the Maori New

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the artists of He Rangi Paihuarere Horomona Horo (taonga puoro) Tama Waipara Maisey Rika Ria Hall Katera Maihi Maitreya (Jamie Greenslade) Kawiti Waetford Soul Sister Aotearoa (Mel Davis) Majik Paora Anna Coddington Te Awanui Reeder Warren Maxwell Teremoana Rapley Year, Matariki, in June, 2012. Co-producers Peata Melbourne and Ngatapa Black say the completed project will celebrate Dr Melbourne’s iconic music as interpreted by a new breed of Kiwi entertainers.

“His songs are multi-layered,” the pair explain.

“On one level, they are catchy tunes to seemingly simple Maori words and rhythms.

“Yet the songs reflect a deep knowledge and profound understanding of Maori language and music and its association with Aotearoa-New Zealand. This project supports and encourages all artists to incorporate te reo Maori into their work to the highest recording standards.”

He Rangi Paihuarere revives Dr Melbourne’s melodies in a range of genre, from classical opera to electronic dub, from acoustic soul to rap, with well-known artists such as Te Awanui Reeder (Nesian Mystik) and Warren Maxwell (ex-Trinity Roots) included in the line-up.

“We wanted to be able to cross over on mainstream radio and we wanted to try and make a hit the way we would a Nesian track,” says Te Awanui.

Warren says he loves the “Beatle-esque” nature of the song he chose, reminiscent of Elenor Rigby or Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair.

“I love the musical contrast of a melancholy song infused with poi rhythms giving it drive. The korero of the lyrics asking our tupuna to awhi each generation, I believe, is so important to acknowledge in this politically correct digital era.”

Jamie Greenslade, aka Maitreya, says he and Jason Kerrison changed their tune to reflect the times, musically and with regard to the journey of te reo.

“We did it with an electronic vibe, because that’s the music we love, and with vocal effects which shoot te reo into the future. We also sampled the original vocals which were recorded by Hirini and a group of children at his marae in Ruatoki.”

Musician Anna Coddington says she wanted to keep her song of choice simple to showcase the beauty of the lyrics and melody.

“I think a lot of Hirini Melbourne’s songs are like that – the lyrics and melody alone are enough. To me, that’s the hallmark of a good song.”

Peata Melbourne and Ngatapa Black say the project will be for all New Zealanders to enjoy.

“His aim was always to encourage young and emerging Maori artists in all fields, particularly in music as that was his passion – so this is the perfect vehicle to use his waiata,” says Peata.

NOMINATED AWARDS 2012 Richard Nunns

The group of MANY COLOURS Nga Tae released its debut album in 2012, Waiata asks: How long had it been in the pipeline and are we likely to see more recorded material?

Waimihi: The debut album is a manifestation of our long-standing friendships and collaborations. I hope we can do more!

Horomona: I think we have been planning something ever since we came together as the four. We have all created musical magic in different combinations, so it was just a matter of spending time together to create something beautiful with more still yet to come.

Paddy: I think we always knew we would be a recording unit from day one because all of us have recorded with each other in different combinations before. We’ll still be constantly thinking about and developing new music. I don’t think there is going to be any shortage of stuff to record in the future!

Jamie: Recording an album has been part of our business plan from the very inception of Nga Tae. However we needed to have a period of consolidation as a group before we went into the studio. I trust it will be the first of a series, however recording is expensive and we are very grateful to Creative New Zealand for their support.

Are you able to select one song from the debut album and tell us a bit about it, and what makes it particularly special to you?

Waimihi: Matarangi. All these songs were compiled and recorded in Piha. At that time, there had been many lives taken by the moana and other causes. We wanted to write something that acknowledged those that have passed but also to remind the loved ones who remained to hold on to the present and celebrate their new lives ahead of them.

Horomona: STAR WAKA. It was the beautiful words of Witi Ihimaera that gave this track a wonderful story line. The challenge was

Dr richard nunns, horomona horo, waimihi hotere, paddy free and jamie bull ARE THE FORCE BEHIND NGA TAE, COMBINING TRADITIONAL MAORI INSTRUMENTS AND MODERN ELECTRONICA.

to see what Nga Tae could do with that great story, and make it unique Nga Tae flavour, and well, the evidence speaks for itself.

Paddy: That’s like asking a father-of-nine which is his favourite child! That’s’ actually a hard one because I like different songs the best at different times and in different contexts.

Jamie: This is difficult but maybe a special favourite is, He Moemoea. It is the haunting quality of the music and lyrics that especially speaks to me.

Was it difficult combining all of the thoughts, wishes and styles of the various artists in the

‘Every culture in the world has some form of music and every piece of music has a colour’ group to make the new album?

Waimihi: I believe we all have a good grip on who we are and what our strengths are so we can work together confidently. We have a deep sense of trust in each other’s style and judgement. This gives us the courage to allow others to direct us and come up with new sounds and voices.

Horomona: I believe because we have worked with one another in many combinations, we have all grown to have an understanding on where our key elements and skills are. We allow,

respect and acknowledge those points and trust that we will all complete our objectives and goals as this album has shown. I think the challenge is knowing you have the tools and believing the magic will unfold as you deliver it.

Paddy: Not at all! We’re a pretty harmonious bunch! We have a strong kaupapa for this project so it’s actually easy for everyone to “toe the line”. So I’m afraid no juicy reports of in-thestudio fighting to share with you.

Jamie: This group is Richard’s “Dream team” and as all members have worked together in differing combinations before, they came together with mutual respect and understanding of each other.

What do you hope people will learn or get out of your music?

Waimihi: I hope they will connect with the emotion of the waiata and puoro and cry or dance, laugh and sing.

Horomona: It’s simply in our name, Nga Tae, colours. Every culture in the world has some form of music and every piece of music has a colour, so we just want people to enjoy the colours we share in our music.

Paddy: I hope Kiwis hear a distinctly New Zealand soundscape that brings together the heritage of the taonga puoro, one that takes inspiration from the sounds of natural environment and honours that. I would like this to be a small contribution towards the normalisation of the intertwining of Pakeha and Maori cultures.

Jamie: We have had considerable feedback to date that our music could only have come from Aotearoa, and that is an important aspect to our music.

Dr Richard Nunns was unable to contribute comments to this story.

He and the late Dr Hirini Melbourne are the joint recipients of the 2012 Lifetime Contribution to Maori Music Award.

Nga Tae perfomring at the 2011 National Waiata Maori Music Awards. From left, Waimihi Hotere, Paddy Free, Dr Richard Nunns and Horomona Horo.

www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

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BAREFOOT DIVAS

Maisey Rika & Vicki Gordon

Performing as one of the Barefoot Divas is an experience singer Maisey Rika says she’ll never forget.

“When I was young I found myself trying to impress the right people and in the process was singing other songs other than my own.

“Since I stopped doing that and began being myself, and doing things that matter to me as a Maori woman, I began to realise that the right people and kaupapa would find me.

“And you know what, I think the

the barefoot divas production is heading to America and Europe after a successful tour of new Zealand and Australia.

Vicki Gordon is the woman behind the successful Barefoot Divas production which, in its debut tour, managed to achieve sell-out venues in Australia and New Zealand in 2012.

Now the project which brings together five indigenous female singer/songwriters from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea is looking to head further afield with possible tours in the US, Canada and Budapest, as well as a return to New Zealand audiences all in the pipeline towards the end of this year.

The divas are Merenia (Welsh, Maori and Romany heritage), Emma Donovan (Gumbayngirr, NSW), Ngaiire (Papua New Guinea), Pg 8

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Barefoot Divas found me.”

It was the first time Australia’s most acclaimed female indigenous singers and songwriters joined with their sisters from New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Their tour, Walk In My Shoes, explored Maori, Aboriginal, Papua New Guinea and Roma Gypsy musical styles and aimed to bring the hard issues such as racism out in the open. The performances included poetry, story telling as well as songs which the Divas performed in their indigenous

languages and dialects.

They also made intimate disclosures about their lives, finding some common ground through culture and language.

The show was a hit at the Sydney Festival and then went on to be a popular feature at the New Zealand International Arts Festival with shows in Paraparaumu, Porirua and at the Wellington Town Hall ealier this year.

Maisey says standing beside the Divas on stage was “amazing”.

Being able to sing in Maori and listen to the other performers sing in their

indigenous languages was special.

“Sharing stories with the audience, past and present, was a chance to get up close and personal. Whirimako, for example, spoke about her moko for the first time.

“And when we performed in Australia, I could see people looking at Emma and really connecting with her stories because some of the issues for Aboriginal people are still very raw.”

Sharing personal korero on stage during the live shows was “nerve racking” because “you’re looking to see

An advocate for INDIGENOUS ARTISTS Ursula Yovich (Serbia/Bajurarra), Whirimako Black and Maisey Rika (Maori). They stunned audiences with the production, Walk A Mile In My Shoes, at the Sydney Festival and the New Zealand International Arts Festival.

Vicki is based in Australia but her family ties are with Ngati Kahungunu.

She has been advocating for fairer representation of indigenous, independent artists and women in music for 25 years.

She produced the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Contemporary Music Festival in Australia, the first All Girl Rock Festival, the first training programme for female DJs and the first fanzine for young female musicians,.

Vicki was the first woman voted onto the board of ARIA in 50 years to represent the Independents and has a Human Rights Commendation Award in recognition of her contribution to industry.

Barefoot Divas has been in development for the past two years.

“There is a lot of creative and cultural wrangling with a project of this nature, a lot of time spent on raising funds and lobbying the gate keepers to actually support the work,” Vicki says.

“Barefoot Divas represents the full circle for me, my commitment to women in the music industry and my life’s work to date. It is the most challenging and the most exciting

project I have initiated,” she says.

Vicki has been passionate for years about bringing together Maori, Aborigine and Papua New Guinean Women’s culture through music.

“Indigenous women’s’ voices, stories, spoken word and songs are rarely privileged on the main stage.

“Each of the Divas represents their own unique cultural journey; they are all at the top of their game and, combined, they are a true force to be reckoned with.

“People are hungry for content, for musical and spiritual connection.”

Walk a Mile in My Shoes is a show “full of heart” and audiences have responded to it in droves.

PROFILE Pieter T

Sights set on WORLD STAGE The Barefoot Divas, from left: Merenia, Whirimako Black, Emma Donovan, Maisey Rika and Ngaiire, performing at the Wellington Town Hall in March 2012.

Singer Ursula Yovich performed with the Divas in Australia.

who might be in the audience”.

“But you know it’s about creating awareness, some people don’t like it, some people do. That’s what it was about, sharing stories, telling it like it is.”

The Barefoot Divas project was headed

by Australian producer Vicki Gordon, who has links to Ngati Kahungunu through her great grandmother, Princess Kokoroiti Rewhanga.

Maisey would like to see the production become an annual feature, perhaps with some of the same or new

‘Each Diva represents their own cultural journey’ “We have seen men and women crying throughout the show and women sobbing in the lobby afterward,” she says.

The Barefoot Divas, through their stories and performances, empower other young women and to stand up for the difficult social issues which women face.

“Barefoot Divas has the capacity to become a movement for positive social change. It is amazing to be involved at the beginning of something so powerful and www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

performers from this year’s inaugural tour.

“I really hope this kaupapa grows.

Maybe we could have more Divas from other countries, like indigenous performers from Canada, or the Antarctic, or Europe,” she says.

“Vicki Gordon was so passionate about this project. I was proud to be able to stand next to her, to watch her dream come true. You know, we only live across the ditch from each other, New Zealand and Australia, but nothing like this has been done before.” creatively significant,” Vicki says.

Feedback on the production has been “overwhelming” and Vicki is keen to point out various reviews of the show from Australia “Whirimako Black takes you deep down to the very source, Maisey Riki will haunt you, Ngaiire astounds you with her dramatic flair, Merenia sends sparks flying, Ursula is a balm to the soul and Emma Donovan is as rich and nurturing as the ground beneath your feet, ABC TV NEWS 24 - Miriam Corowa says.

Vicki says the Barefoot Divas are “very keen” to perform at the National Waiata Maori Music Awards in the near future.

“For anyone who has seen the show, they will appreciate the extraordinary musicianship, the power of these unbelievable women and the importance of this work for Maori, Aborigine and Papua New Guinean cultures,” she says.

“Barefoot Divas reminds us about the importance for us to work together to make the world a better place.”

LEARNING TE REO MAORI AND A NEW album are on the cards for heart-throb pieter t.

BY CHLOE JOHNSON. If Pieter Tuhoro wasn’t serenading Aotearoa with his soothing voice, he would be sitting back in Italy eating a scotch fillet steak while watching the league - the Warriors, of course.

The 24-year-old rising star is itching to spread his wings and explore the world but not before he finishes his second album and can speak a bit of Te Reo Maori.

Tuhoro - who goes by the name Pieter T - says he is very much in tune with his Ngati Maniapoto heritage but has unfortunately never learnt the language. Although, he did produce a Maori translated version of his third hit Can’t stop loving you in 2010.

“I know my Maniapoto whanau very well, I constantly head out to the marae, however my Ngati Porou ties I haven’t seen much or met, as my grandmother lives in Australia and didn’t really introduce us to that side... might have to head back and check my cuzzies out for myself,” he says.

“I’m hoping to learn te reo nearer the end of the year after I finish this second album.” The young heart throb has become a sensation with his gold single My Baby where he wears his heart on his sleeve expressing lost love.

“Something almost everyone can relate to,” he says.

During the passed year Pieter T has been a finalist in the New Zealand Waita Maori Music Awards, toured with the likes of Dei Hamo and Smashproof, been a guest judge for a fashion show and featured on television including a recent stint on kids show What Now. But it wasn’t always that way for Pieter who says he was a typical teenager growing up in Hamilton going to house parties, falling for puppy love and taking centre stage in school plays.

“I was Jesus in Jesus Christ superstar... it was incredibly taxing energy wise, anyone who has done theatre will identify with that.”

He then moved on to become a member of the short lived boy band ironically called, Boyband, in 2006 after winning a competition on the The Edge radio station.

But he broke away three years later and successfully went solo releasing singles Cold Nights and Stay With Me. Since then life has positively flipped for the kid from Hamilton with a busy schedule regularly performing at home and across the Tasman.

When asked where to from here, he modestly says “finish this second album and travel the world for a bit”.

Pieter T performing at the 2010 National Waiata Maori Music Awards.

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Profile

Warren Maxwell

Music from THE HEART Warren Maxwell (Trinity Roots, Little Bushman) describes helping inmates find their musical feet a life-changing experience. By Tania McCauley.

Over 10 weeks top Maori musicians Warren Maxwell, Maisey Rika, Ruia Aperahama and Anika Moa took their musical experience behind bars to help some inmates express themselves in a way they never had before.

The results, featuring in Maori Television’s reality series Songs from the Inside, is a moving glimpse into the lives of those who, just for a little while, got to escape their daily grind. The 12 episodes covered the weeks the musicians taught prisoners the step-by-step music programme developed

by Evan Rhys Davies, which he tutored as a pilot programme at Spring Hill Corrections Facility in the Waikato. It ended with a 13th, hour-long special in which the songs the prisoners wrote, sang and recorded were revealed.

Music therapy is used in prisons throughout the

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world, but Songs From The Inside is the first production to bring in established musicians and record the workshops on film.

All participating prisoners were minimum or medium security; none were sexual offenders or had committed crimes against people under the age of 18; and none received monetary payment.

The prisoners also had to agree to be identified on camera – their songs and lives exposed to public scrutiny.

Tama, at Rimutaka Prison, says: “I know people will judge me. I was a disgrace, blinded by drugs and stupidity, anger and violence. My fists did my talking. Karma. I deserved what came to me. I deserve it.”

It had a powerful effect on the musicians, Maxwell describing it as a life changing experience.

“Whenever I go to write a song now or a composition that project comes back to me... I have nothing to moan about, nothing to be sad about, for me it just put everything in perspective.

I appreciate things so much more.”

Maxwell jumped at the chance to be involved when director Julian Arahanga (Once Were Warriors’ Nig Heke) first approached him. He had seen a segment on breakfast tv some time before about Davies and said when he heard one of the songs to come out of the project he was almost in tears. Davies was one of the mentors for the series, along with Jim Moriarty.

It was nice to be involved with something positive, and a reality series that wasn’t trivial, Maxwell says.

“What you see on Songs From The Inside is very real, and you get to see all of us (musicians)

Talented Maori musicians, from left, Warren Maxwell, Anika Moa, Maisey Rika and Ruia Aperahama.

without big lights on stage, no makeup, just the message, and I have the feeling people want to see the real shit.”

Rika and Moa went to Arohata women’s prison, while Maxwell and Aperahama went to Rimutaka.

The guys they worked with had varying levels of talent – some could sing, some could write lyrics, or were accomplished guitarists. He confesses he and Aperahama were anxious on their first day, given they had been warned about not revealing too much of themselves personally in case it could be used against them, but the two sides “just opened up to each other and that was it, the next thing was let’s get to work”.

On the inmates’ part, they had to stay good or miss out on the programme, which was regarded as a privilege. One of the first things they heard from them was how much they missed their families. While they had to remember they all had victims, Maxwell says, social conditioning and circumstances had contributed to their situation and as part of the process they had all been confronted by said victims. People like them were the “weakest link” in society and unless society was prepared to do something about them, nothing would change.

“We need to give them skills so they can come out and do stuff. Everyone talks about breaking the cycle, well, I think just small things is at least a start. To korero music is a great thing. There’s so many other skills involved, communication, how you express yourself, using metaphors, similes, having poetic licence... they were just so hungry, really hungry to learn.”

The music they created may reach a wider audience as there are plans to release a CD of songs from the series.

The experience was emotional for everyone, says Maxwell. “It was dynamic, and I think that’s where great music comes from.”

PROFILE Six 60

Tapping into the RIGHT VIBE Official figures marking the popularity of New Zealand music report what most of us already know about Six60’s self-titled debut album.

New Zealand Music Industry Commission statistics showed the Six60 title was among the top five selling albums by a New Zealand artist, for the final quarter of 2011.

The band’s songs, Don’t Forget Your Roots and Only To be, were among the top five selling singles by a New Zealand artist. Don’t Forget Your Roots was also among the top five, most played songs by a New Zealand artist on our radio stations.

“It is incredible to think what the album and the band have achieved in such a short time,” Six60’s drummer Eli Paewai says.

“We worked really hard to create music we were proud of and present it in a way we thought was all our own,” he said.

“But that said we are determined to better it. We want to continue moving forward and continue developing.”

The album was co-produced by Tiki Taane, who claimed three Waiata Maori Music Awards in 2011.

“Tiki was great. I think he was the perfect guy to help us produce this album,” Eli says.

“His vibe and the way he went about things really made us feel comfortable in the studio,” he says.

“I think that helped give us the confidence to take each song and do with it whatever we wanted to. It was probably something we lacked with our previous studio recordings.”

Eli’s favourite song on the Six60 album is, Someone To Be Around because its lyrics “are perfect” and you can’t “help feel something when you hear that song”.

Eli is one of five musicians who met in Dunedin, and formed Six60. The lineup includes Matiu Walters, Auckland; Ji Fraser, from Gisborne; Marlon Gerbes from Napier and Chris Mac from Darwin, Australia “We are fortunate to be doing something we love and even more so that people are supportive,” Eli says.

“All-in-all, we are just three Maori, an Aussie and a ginger, without pretence who are passionate about music,” he says.

Eli’s iwi is Rangitane. He went to high school initially at Awatapu College in Palmerston North where his fascination for the drums began.

“I used to just practice on my desk in school. I had a mate who showed me a few beats and I just went from there.

“I jammed with a few guys in school but never really went hard out with a band.”

He transferred to Napier Boys’ High School and www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

Six60’s Eli Paewai speaks about the plan to take the BAND’S unique blend of soul, rock, dubstep, drum and bass music to the world.

Six60.

‘All-in-all, we are just three Maori, an Aussie and a ginger’ continued to “fool around” with music before heading to university in Dunedin to study computer science.

He met Matiu through rugby, while studying at university and joined Six60.

Eli’s heroes are Dave Grohl, the front-man for Foo Fighters, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Motley Crue founder Tommy Lee. “Ringo, because he’s got great style and a cool name. Dave Grohl because he’s a complete animal on the drums and Tommy Lee because he’s a monster on the drums, as well as a great entertainer, and he dated Pam [Anderson].”

Being a star in the music industry requires hard work, something the boys from Six60 have discovered on their way to their album success.

“We have learnt that in the music industry, just like any other industry, your level of success is measured by the amount of work you put in,” Eli says.

“It is large, it is ever growing and its is unforgiving. One thing is evident it requires something extra,” he says.

Not only is it about writing and performing music, it’s about timing, it’s about taking your opportunities and about making the most from the little time you have.”

The band has already started working on new songs and ideas for a second album, along with tours booked for Australia (April), the UK and Europe (May) and the US (June).

Six60’s musical career is on the cusp of international success but Eli has both feet on the ground, remaining realistic about the journey and hard work ahead, judging by the advice he offers to others starting out in the music industry.

“Work hard. Never expect anything and never try to be something you are not,” he says.

“Music is meant to be honest, it is meant to make you feel something. That is what we strive for in every song we write. On top of that, get off your ass and do it and make your mum proud.”

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PROFILE

Kirsten Te Rito

MAORI MUSIC EXPO Hawke’s Bay Opera House Plaza, Hastings.

Thursday, September 13 9am-2.30pm Friday September 14 9am-1pm Free events: National Maori Hand Games kapa haka live bands music industry panels taonga puoro and ukulele workshops artists presentations

Call Joeanne Walters for more information, 027 276 9201 or wmaexpo@yahoo.com

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Love is central IN TE REO ALBUM WELLINGTON-based performer KIRSTEN TE RITO LAUNCHes a NEW ALBUM, HER FIRST WRITTEN IN TE REO MAORI. Singer and songwriter Kirsten Te Rito’s groove-inspired beats and soulful melodies were recognised at the 2010 Waiata Maori Music Awards where she was a finalist for the Songwriter of the Year award.

Following those awards, Kirsten, Rongomaiwahine & Ngati Kahungunu, worked on a new album, in te reo Maori, which she released in July, 2012. The album is called Te Rito and Kirsten has spent six months over the 2011/12 summer recording the new songs.

“Writing, producing and recording an album is not an easy task at the best of times but recording entirely in Te Reo Maori is not something that I thought I would ever be able to achieve,” Kirsten says.

She wanted to incorporate more of her Maori heritage into her musical career.

“Generally speaking though, I think that the more artists there are making Maori music, the better.”

With the support of co-producers Maaka Phat and her husband James Illingworth, the project has been rewarding.

“I was also very privileged to work with my cousin, Dr. Joseph Te Rito, who took on the role of being my te reo Maori language advisor,” Kirsten says.

The songs are flavoured with sweet guitar, catchy synth lines and lush deep-layered harmonies encompassing a range of topics but Kirsten’s central inspiration is love.

“I seem to write about matters of the heart. I can’t help it, I’m emotional I guess.”

The title track Te Rito was written about her nephew who was born prematurely.

“We weren’t sure he would make it and it was a stressful and anxious time for my family.

“Being able to get your feelings across in the form of a song can be a great release.”

Another track on her new album titled Oranga touches on the topic of suicide, which is a subject close to my heart after the loss of a close family member in 2005.

“If my music can uplift, comfort or make someone happy somewhere then I have done a good job. It’s not all sad stuff though, there are fun songs in there too,” Kirsten says.

The first single from Kirsten’s album is titled Kainga and speaks of the close connection she feels with her father’s birthplace, Mahia on the east coast of the North Island.

“My parents were very supportive when it came to me being involved in the arts and I had every opportunity to learn new things,” she recalls.

Kirsten began tap dancing at the age of three,

James Illingworth and Kirsten Te Rito.

playing the piano at age six, taught herself to play the guitar, took saxophone lessons at college. She received vocal lessons from opera singer Linden Loader.

Kirsten studied Musical Theatre at the Wellington Performing Arts Center and went on to feature in many stage shows, most recently in Miss Saigon.

There have been many highlights in her Musical Theatre journey. Kirsten played the role of Maui’s mother, Taranga in “Maui – One Man against the Gods”, a musical written and performed in Te Reo Maori. Another highlight was gaining a role in Disney’s musical production of The Lion King in Melbourne and touring with the show to Shanghai.

Kirsten’s main focus is now working on her own original material with her husband James Illingworth. They have recorded an album with their band Bebe Deluxe which they plan to release in the near future.

For information and updates on Kirsten’s upcoming album release please visit: www.kirstenterito.com

Q&A

Ngatapa Black

Adding her UNIQUE TOUCH performer and producer ngatapa Black is the new producer of the national waiata maori music awards.

What attracted you to the role of producer for the Waiata Maori Music Awards?

I have been involved in the awards for the last three years, either working or as a finalist, so when I was given the opportunity I jumped at it, as it combines both passions music and television.

Are we likely to see anything new in the show this year?

We don’t want to take it too far away from what it is, but I guess it’s

just about adding my own flavour from both an artist perspective and television perspective, but we’d like to put more emphasis on profiling and acknowledging those artists who are icon award recipients and of course the finalists.

How important are the awards to the Maori music industry?

Any kaupapa that recognises and acknowledges the efforts of those people who create music for all is worth supporting!

What can we do to grow the awards in the future?

We can only and always improve of the awards, the most important thing is that we keep encouraging artists to be involved and a part of the awards, we have so many big names that can come behind these awards and support it, tautokohia te kaupapa e hoa ma.

Can you tell us about some of the projects you have been involved in as a musician and producer?

An exposé of MAORI MUSIC

I had the honour of working on a beautiful kaupapa called He Rangi Paihuarere, bringing together talented Maori artists, doing interpretations of the late Dr Hirini Melbourne. It was such an amazing journey and I enjoyed being involved. Currently I am producing a music show called Oruorua for Maori Television striping away the presenters, the competitions, it’s real music, uninterrupted and a unplugged music show.

Te Awanui.

PEFORMERS ENTERING NEW STAGES IN THEIR MUSICAL CAREERS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THIS YEAR’S MAORI MUSIC EXPO IN HAWKE’S BAY. Rising Maori singer Majic Paora and Nesian Mystik lead singer Te Awanui Reeder will be two of the guest speakers to feature at this year’s Maori Music Expo, being held as part of the 5th annual National Waiata Maori Music Awards in Hawke’s Bay in September.

Majic Paora, 16, was a guest performer at the Waiata Maori Music Awards last year. Earlier this year she recorded her new album in Jamaica, at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, and is looking to releasing the debut work at this year’s awards, at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings.

The young singer from Northland, working in the roots hop reggae genre, has named the debut album, Com’n To a Town Near You. Majic is expected to talk to the expo audience about her experiences recording the album overseas and what it takes to write and record songs. www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

Hip-hop R’n’B band Nesian Mystik formed in 1999 bringing together performers of Cook Island, Tongan, Samoan and Maori ancestry. The band won multiple awards at the 2009 National Waiata Maori Music Awards and performed live for fans for the last time in March 2011. Lead signer Te Awanui Reeder will be at this year’s Maori Music Expo to talk about life after Nesian Mystik and his recent music projects.

The expo will also include the National Maori Hand Games reviving the classics such as Whai (string game), Hei Tama Tu Tama and Whakaropiropi ai.

There will also be music industry representatives from the New Zealand Music Commission, APRA, Te Mangai Paho and Toi Maori who will be available to give advice for those looking for a career in music.

Hawke’s Bay’s best primary and secondary school kapa haka groups will also perform at the

Majic Paora.

expo to keep the audience entertained while there will be workshops focusing on traditional Maori music instruments, such as taonga puoro and more contemporary versions of the ukulele.

The Maori Music Expo will be held at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House plaza from Thursday, September 13, 9am to 2.30pm, and Friday, September 14, 9am to 1pm.

For a full programme or more information contact Joe-anne Walters on 027 276 9201.

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FEATURE Ria Hall

proud product of NGATI RANGINUI THE IWI STILL COMES FIRST FOR ria hall, a SINGER WHO IMPRESSED MILLIONS WITH HER PERFORMANCE OPENING THE 2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP. SHE will appear as one of the guest performers at this year’s national waiata maori music awards.

Ria Hall is fast becoming one of the best export products to come out of Ngati Ranginui as her decision to make music her “full-time focus” begins to return rewards and opportunities.

The 28-year-old singer from Tauranga was among four Ngati Ranginui “celebrities” who recorded a television advertising campaign for Te Roopu Whakamana o Ngati Ranginui in March.

The ads screened on Maori Television in April and aimed to encourage the estimated 10,000 Ngati Ranginui population to register, so more of its people could have their say in the Crown’s offer to settle long-standing Treaty of Waitangi claims.

The others involved in the television campaign included Ardijah lead singer Betty-Anne Monga, Maori carver and DJ Hone Ngata as well as Pukana youth television programme presenter Marama Gardiner.

Not long after recording the ads, Ria starred at Womad in Taranaki singing as part of a Hirini Melbourne Tribute group.

She also appeared as part of a delegation put together by Te Awanui Huka Pak Limited, which operates in the Bay of Plenty, which visited Asia to market its products to Japan.

“It is a big honour and a privilege to be able to do these things for my iwi and for Taurangamoana,” Ria says.

“I don’t really think of myself as a celebrity because there are a lot of awesome, talented people working at home. I enjoy these opportunities but I also have to remember that I am there to do the mahi. I don’t want to be someone who turns up from Wellington once and a while, I want to return home as often as possible to do the work for our people.”

Ria was the star singer of the 2011 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony in Auckland, a performance which opened doors for

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opportunities like the ones above.

“After the opening ceremony my email, phone and Facebook, all means of contact with me, just went completely off the hook. It has certainly extended my contact and friends network and I’m really grateful of the recognition.

“I learnt a lot from that experience, I learnt how to become fearless, which is what I was on the night. It was a big occasion but being fearless gave the extra confidence I needed.”

Ria has been singing since she was a teen and co-formed the reggae band Hope Road in Wellington in 2006. Her music is now a mix of roots and reggae with a bit of ragga, soul, hip hop and hints of tunes from the 1990s.

She released her self-titled debut EP at the end of 2011 and was to tour the five-song collection during winter 2012. She’s also started work on a debut album which she hopes to release towards the end of this year.

“I was really happy with the way the EP performed, to see how people took to it was wonderful. It’s a bi-lingual EP and it’s performed better than what we thought and now I’m just happy to let it continue to do its thing.”

Ria likes to write about social situations, sometimes based on political movements or decisions. She wrote all of the songs on the EP and will do the same for the new album.

Her song, Ko Au, Ko Ia, on the debut EP was written about the Urewera raid and Prime Minister John Key’s decision to reject the Tuhoe proposal for sole ownership of the Urewera National Park.

“People questioned the validity of Maori claiming areas, saying Maori are not the indigenous people. So I flipped the script on Ko Au, Ko Ia and confirmed linked as tangata whenua. A lot of what I write has strong social commentary but it’s never anything that people can’t relate to.

“I’ll be honest and say song writing doesn’t come easy to me, it’s a lot of hard work. But what I do is come up with the tune first and then think about something happening at that point in time that suits the feel of the tune.”

Ria has whakapapa links to Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Ranginui, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngati Porou, Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa. She feels encouraged by the fact bi-lingual, Maori/English, songs are becoming more popular with listeners. It’s good news as she and her partner have made

‘It’s a big honour and privilege to be able to do these things for my iwi’

uRIA'S Advice: For people looking for a career in the music industry: “I would say set yourself up for a longterm journey with music. Music can be your life if you have a good crack at it.

It is hard work but you can also have fun with it and learn to enjoy it.”

a commitment to further their te reo Maori language ability.

“There is still some way to go but I think bilingual music is becoming more approachable and accessible. Maybe it’s just the psyche of the country that has changed or maybe because people want to hear something a bit more organic, more from the land. “That’s what sets us apart from any other culture, it’s the reo, our language. And so what we tried to do with the EP is fuse a few worlds together, use some www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

sophisticated modern beats and bass sound with the reo. So I hope I have contributed to the reo, to encourage people to listen to it in a safe way.”

Ria is based in Wellington where she’s been pursuing another love in entertainment, helping to teach kapa haka at a local school.

It fits in with her past experience with world-class kapa haka roopu, Waka Huia, which she is still a member of. “It also give me a bit of a change from focusing totally on music.”

When it comes to Maori musicians making it big,

Ria reckons there’s no shortage of candidates and she’s keen to point out those from her own iwi which are leading the way. It includes Betty-Anne Monga from Ardijah and Australian Idol winner Stan Walker who is “doing well commercially” and flying the Maori flag “as well as the Taurangamoana flag”. “Maisey Rika always does well, she’s fantastic. I’d also like to mention Electric Wire Hustle which is a Wellington-based group making huge noises overseas. Mara TK, Billy TK’s son is in that band, it’s a black roots group which I really look up to.”

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FEATURE

Te Hamua Nikora

‘... I would take the piss out real hard to the point where they didn’t think about being nevous’

Speaking up for HIS WHANAU The original face behind television music show Homai te pakipaki, Entertainer te hamua nikora, speaks about his work as one of the co-hosts at the national waiata maori music awards and how His battle with cancer changed his life. By Lawrence Gullery.

Well-known television presenter Te Hamua Nikora use to think he was “too tough to get sick”.

“I thought I was cool enough but really I was a scared-as little pussy, too scared to go to the doctor and ask for help,” he says.

A few years ago he had “an offending piece of cancer” removed from his body and while undergoing chemotherapy found he also had a brain tumour.

“So they took that out as well. The cancer has all gone now although it’s taken a little bit of time to recover.”

He’s been told he will need to have daily naps now as part of his recovery and that he may have trouble “walking in a straight line” at times.

The cancer was on top of the diabetes illness he successfully battled by simply changing his diet and “staring it out”.

The experience had a major impact on the way he approaches life and has added to his newest venture, Te Hamua Communications Limited.

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“As part of my work with my new company, I give motivational presentations mostly to men’s groups about the importance of getting yourself checked out by your doctor,” Te Hamua said.

“Do it for your health, but for your whanau, hapu and iwi because you never realise how important you are to people, especially your family.

“If I had a wife and child, I would have thought differently about getting my health checked sooner. But it was my grandfather and uncle who made me realise I had to look after myself better.”

Te Hamua started his company recently and moved back to his home town Gisborne after his contract with Maori Television to host the popular Homai Te Pakipaki show was not renewed.

“When I got sick a couple of years ago they decided to rotate me each week hosting the show with Matai [Smith] but now they are looking to take the show on a new angle,” Te Hamua says.

He’s disappointed to leave the show which he admits was the “making of my career”.

“There was a hole in the programming for a show like this and it was a real gamble at first.

“But it’s a chance to bring all those people who want to sing out of their homes and into the experience of a studio, with all the lighting, makeup and cameras.

“It was my job to make them comfortable and let them know that if people like me can do it, so can they.

“I spent so much time cuddling and kissing people, making sure they feel good and normally used that time to find out what they didn’t like about themselves.

“Then I would take the piss out real hard to the point where they didn’t think about being nervous anymore.”

Building on the success of the show, Te Hamua, now working under his own company, is continuing with MC work for kapa haka competitions, motivational speaking to adults and children in schools. He hosted the 2012 Maori iwi radio awards, he’s keen to work in radio and get back on television and plans to release a te reo

Te Hamua Nikora (left) and WIlliam Winitana in action co-hosting the 2011 National Waiata Maori Music Awards.

Maori album this year.

He will also return to co-host the Waiata Maori Music Awards at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings, in September.

Hosting the Maori music awards was a job he’d done when he was with Maori Television, the official broadcaster of the event.

“Now that I’ve got my own company, they [Waiata Maori Music Awards organisers] decided they like my style and have asked me back,” Te Hamua said.

“I love the fact that it’s a music show because music is one of my big loves, as well as comedy, kapa haka. So be able to mix those three things into one night is a real buzz.”

Te Hamua co-hosts the awards with well-known opera singer and entertainer Wiremu Winitana, Ngati Kahungunu, from Hawke’s Bay. But does Te Hamua think Wiremu’s jokes are funny?

“You can take this quote from me that Te Hamua doesn’t think Wiremu’s jokes are funny, in fact

www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

if it wasn’t for me people would be crying for something humourous to happen.

“Na but seriously Wiremu is cool. He’s got his own sense of humour. Mine is more over the top while his humour is understated so we make a real good team.”

Te Hamua says he’s doesn’t get a lot of time to hear or watch the performers at the awards ceremony, although he’d like to.

“I have to concentrate of what I am doing at the time and that is to be the presenter.

“It’s a show that goes for about an hour or so on television but the actual ceremony can go for five or six hours,” he says.

“So my job is to make the crowd happy during that time.

“I am a real peoples person and you have to be

because the type of people you have at the ceremony is everything from little kids, to nannies, you’ve got famous people from the music industry, down to hardcore fans.

“Also I think there is a lot of talent out there and everyone who makes it to the awards, either as a performer or a finalist, I think they are all awesome.”

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FEATURE

Waiata Workshop & Showcase

Finding the stars OF TOMORROW A project which aimed to uncover the wealth of musical talent in the Maniapoto district could be expanded to include the entire Tainui rohe next year.

The National Waiata Maori Music Awards has developed a partnership with Maniapoto FM, based in Te Kuiti, to set up a new talent quest competition to finding new recording artists.

The first of its kind, the contest was held in the Maniapoto district, from Te Awamutu in the north to Taumarunui in the south, during May. Auditions were held in Te Awamutu, Otorohanga and Te Kuiti and the best contestants were selected to go forward to a final competition show which was held on May 19.

Former Waiata Maori Music Awards finalists and guest performers, Sid Diamond, Adam Whauwhau and Taisha Tari ran workshops with the contestants as part of their tuition, learning what it takes to work in the music industry.

The whole event culminated in a showcase

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A TALENT QUEST LAUNCHED IN MANIAPOTO this year COULD BE USED AS A BLUEPRINT TO OPEN THE DOORS FOR MUSICIANS WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED IN OUR REGIONS.

concert at the Waitomo Cultural and Arts Centre on May 26, where the contestants performed with their mentors. The overall winner was Simone Holland who will now perform as a guest artist at the Waiata Maori Music Awards in Hawke’s Bay, in September.

Maniapoto FM general manager Jaqui Taituha said the iwi radio station provided co-ordination and project management for talent scouting, auditions, workshop hosting and the finale showcase event.

“The response was overwhelming. In all we auditioned 45 acts from across the Maniapoto region. We also had around 20 local sponsors who got behind the event with us.

“The variation of talent was wide-ranging and overall I think that the calibre was very good, given the majority of entrants had never performed in public before or only ever at family gatherings or once-in-a-while karaokes.

“We (the judges) were particularly impressed by the fact that well over half of the performers came with original material.”

Of the final eight, two performed originals at the finale, and a further four had performed originals previously. The winner was selected by Tama Huata, the executive director of the Waiata Maori Music Awards.

“Simone Holland has been on the radar of Maniapoto FM for a little while now and she is someone who we have been very keen to promote and encourage. As well as her vocal ability, Simone was also top Maori student at her school last year and has this year begun tertiary study in Media Arts – Music.”

Plans are already in the pipeline for next year’s show and there interest from other iwi radio stations to run the contest in their rohe.

“There are a few tweaks we will make in terms of management and co-ordination, however the major change will be to widen the boundaries of the auditions to include the other iwi radio stations in the Tainui rohe. The workshop and showcase finale will continue to be held in Maniapoto though.”

‘I’m going to start studying music now and get right into it so I can hopefully become a singer, songwriter’

The beginning of MY MUSIC CAREER

Simone Holland singing at the finale of the Waiata Workshop and Showcase talent quest in Te Kuiti in May.

A young te kuiti woman is the inaugural winner of the waiata workshop and showcase talent quest and will perform at the national waiata maori music awards in september.

Story and photo by Todd Ward, Waitomo News.

A CAREER in the music industry is within reach for Te Kuiti’s Simone Holland.

The 18-year-old vocalist was crowned winner of the first Waiata Workshop and Showcase talent quest in Te Kuiti in May. Simone beat seven other finalists from throughout Maniapoto’s tribal region and on September 14, will perform live in front of New Zealand recording industry representatives at the fifth annual Waiata Maori Music Awards in Hastings.

The awards ceremony will be recorded by Maori Television for delayed broadcast. It will also be broadcast live to the iwi radio station network.

To take top honours, Simone performed a flawless rendition of Etta James’ At Last in front of a packed Waitomo Cultural and Arts Centre.

Visibly shaking after the announcement, Simone embraced Waiata Maori Music Awards www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

executive director Tama Huata and thanked the crowd for their support.

“I just gave it everything I had and it turned out to be good enough,” she said after her win was announced.

“I’m really overwhelmed. I still can’t believe it.”

Simone was selected as a finalist after three rounds of auditions and can now look forward to a recording contract and possibly touring with professional groups like the Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre.

“This could be the beginning of my singing career,” she says.

“I’m going to start studying music now and get right into it so I can hopefully become a singer, songwriter.”

Simone says it was extra special to win at home.

“I just wanted to get out there and show everyone what I have,” she said.

“It will be really exciting to sing at the national music awards but I’ve never performed in

front of that many eyes before. It’s going to be a totally different challenge. I can’t wait.”

Simone also thanked her workshop coaches, Taisha,Young Sid and Adam Whauwhau.

Tama Huata says the evening was “fantastic”.

“I am very proud of all the contestants who stepped up to the challenge here tonight and it was very difficult to select a winner,” he says.

“They’ve all made a huge leap from where they were at the start so well done to them all.”

Event co-ordinator and MFM Radio marketing manager Monica Louis was extremely proud of all the finalists.

“If Simone capitalises on this opportunity and performs well in front of the who’s who of the New Zealand music industry then anything is possible.

“A lot of young people think you have to be from the big cities to make it. That is nonsense.

“Talent comes from everywhere and I think this could be the beginning of Simone’s singing career.”

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IN AUS

The Kumpnee

Kiwis fly with musical passion waitangi day hangi parcels prove to be the big draw card for kiwi bands operating in australia, as ronnie lavender and the kumpnee have discovered since making the move across the ditch. By Lawrence Gullery.

Australia is flooded with talented Maori musicians looking to turn their dreams into success stories. One such story is that of Ronnie Lavender and his band, The Kumpnee, which is based in Sydney plying their unique blend of urban rap and soulful harmonies.

“The scene is huge, everyone’s a possible success story and a lot of people are giving it a crack,” Ronnie says.

“There are a few outlets for rising indie musicians to showcase their music like exclusive indie radio and TV stations and rock is a lot heavier focused here as compared to other genres.”

Ronnie, from Whakatane, Ngati Awa, believes New Zealanders are “a bit more creative” and you can hear the “struggles, anguish, happiness and soul” come through in their music.

“Possibly due to being Kiwi, I connect with it more.”

The Kumpnee’s five band members include Josh Gage, the founding member from Omaio, Gino Hawkins from Auckland, Huia Ratapu from Kawerau, “our token white guy” is Stevie Taylor, Masterton and Ronnie.

Ronnie and Josh met at Waikato University in 1999 where Josh had a crew called Pount Four5.

The two bumped into each other again in Australia in 2005 and decided on a musical partnership, originally calling their group “C Company” as a homage to the 28 (Maori) Battalion. From that evolved The Kumpnee.

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“We write and produce all our own music. The inspiration for our music, for me, comes from personal experiences, losses, achievements, relationships, feelings and emotions,” Ronnie says.

“The inspiration of watching and helping a piece of art develop from a blank canvas, this is what inspires me. I’m addicted to the writing process and witnessing an idea develop into a song.

“I prefer to be solely on vocals as I can interact with the crowd more effectively with my movements and actions. But give me the guitar on stage any day, I’ll be sure to break a string.”

Ronnie loved performing the song, Under A Spell, which was used on an online reality show called, Air New Zealand Presents: The Kiwi Sceptics.

It was a campaign to convert Australia “Kiwi sceptics” into advocates in order to promote New Zealand as a travel destination.

“The videos are hugely popular. Our song was heard a lot and there’s nothing more satisfying than people singing along to a song of ours while we perform it,” Ronnie says.

The Kumpnee has been busy playing gigs between Australia and New Zealand and in April this year was awarded a $10,000 grant from uRONNIE'S AdvicE On starting a career in music: “I believe it is crucial to be driven by the passion and love of the music, be inspired by the creation of an idea and this will be reflected through the music.”

New Zealand On Air to fund a video for its new release, 2 bux in my wallet. The band released its debut album, The Kumpnee Ball, from Sydney in 2010 and it was a finalist for Best Urban, Rap, Hip-Hop RnB album at the New Zealand Waiata Maori Music Awards in 2011.

“Being part of an award ceremony that recognises achievements from our people was one of the proudest moments in our musical career,” Ronnie says.

Working across New Zealand and Australia has its advantages. But Ronnie admits there are a lot more opportunities the larger population of Aussie can provide.

“We have been given the opportunity as producers to work with major labels like Sony, and with artists such as X Factor winner Reece Mastin, Australian Idol vocal coach Erana Clark and Mahogany, Justin Beibers backing band Legaci and international artist Israel Cruz,” Ronnie says.

“The NZ music communities can be a lot tighter bunch of associates, it’s much more efficient to build a steady fan base as an artist in NZ, and our tangata get behind the music 100 per cent.

Brisbane and Melbourne are “hot spots” for live music and you will see a lot of “Kiwi folk” on the Gold Coast checking out the live music scene.

“Here in Sydney, out west is teeming with Kiwi talent. Waitangi Day in Australia is huge, the hangi [parcels] sell like $1 pies and this is where you will catch musicians of all sorts hanging out,” Ronnie says.

IN THE UK

Jayson Norris

Freedom to live, FREEDOM TO SING His father and his son provide the inspiration for songs striking a chord with people all over the world.

Jayson Norris grew up in Awanui but now lives in London where he has found success performing his original songs and producing two albums since his move to the UK in 2004.

The Ngati Kahu man hasn’t forgotten his iwi affiliations however and is able to provide a detailed pepeha on request, as well as speak about where his love for music began.

“I went to Kaitaia primary, intermediate and college. I first got into the guitar while watching my uncles play it,” Jayson says.

“I got a guitar at age nine, played it for a couple of years then switched to playing bass. I learnt from different teachers at school, Dave King, John Barlow, and the late Keith Davis and George Allen,” he says.

Jayson was a finalist at the 2011 Waiata Maori Music Awards, nominated for the Best Maori Pop Album and Best Maori Male Solo categories.

His rich, earthy voice provides a blend of soul, roots and rock music. It’s a flavour which is inspired by many songwriters including Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz and Bob Marley.

Jayson’s first album, A Basket Full, was released in 2006 while his second work, an album entitled, Freedom 28, was released in February 2011.

Freedom 28 hit the New Zealand top 40 album charts debuting at number 25 and number 2 on the New Zealand Independent Charts.

The album’s second and third single, Love Someone and Window, both made the New Zealand top 40 singles chart with Love Someone making number 1 on Juice TV. The video to the first single, Freedom to Live, is a personal homage from Jayson to his late grandfather Charlie Norris who was in the 7th Reinforcement, A Company, of the 28 (Maori) Battalion.

‘Music is life, especially when you create it.

It’s all about the music’ www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

Ko Puwheke te Maunga, Ko Mamaru te Waka, Ko Kahutianui te Tupuna, Ko Te Parata te Tangata, Ko Karikari me Tokerau nga Moana, Ko Haititaimarangi te Marae Ko Whanau Moana me te Rorohui te Hapu, Ko Ngatikahu te iwi.

Jayson says his son now provides inspiration for his original songs.

“Not necessarily writing about him but taking moments that we share, or situations, that can be translated into a different scenario but still keeping those original feelings,” he says.

“My song Freedom to Live was written about my grandfather but I was inspired to write it because I became a father.”

Jayson says he’d like to incorporate more traditional Maori music instruments into his future work. “I have a very talented friend Jerome Kavanagh who performed on my album Freedom 28 and would love to have him on any future records. Koauau Toroa, Nguru and Putorino are beautiful,” he says.

Jayson has embraced life in London where he is well established and there are opportunities to further a career in music. But it is also place where many other musicians are chasing a similar dream. “You have to be dedicated, patient

and thick skinned.You also have to take every opportunity you are given.You never know who could be listening,” he says. “Music is life, especially when you create it. It’s all about the music. Once you realise that, the more at peace you are with having to deal with the other side of the industry.”

Jayson was about to embark on a tour of Asia when Waiata spoke to him about his work this year, which includes a new single to be released near the end of 2012.

“My manager lives in Singapore and we tour Asia about once every 12-18 months,” he says.

“It’s a great gig to do. People are sweet and the food is sweeter. I’m always planning future shows around the globe. I’ll be back in New Zealand early next year and Aussie is on the cards with shows in Europe this year.”

Jayson says it was an honour to be a finalist at the 2011 Waiata Maori Music Awards and it “would be a dream” to be able to perform at the awards in the near future.

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FRESH TALENT Mistee K

Album arrives in good time

Mistee K.

A FORMER SAILOR SETS HER SIGHTS ON A CAREER IN MUSIC WITH PLANS FOR A NEW ALBUM AND A WISH TO HELP RANGATAHI MAKE BETTER CHOICES IN LIFE.

BY LAWRENCE GULLERY. Melz Huata remembers laughing at the headlines in a Hawke’s Bay paper which described her as a “sailor by day and a singer by night”. She recalls the phrase while sitting on the steps of the wharenui at Kohupatiki marae near Hastings, where she’s come home from Auckland to visit the whanau for the weekend.

“It’s timely that you’ve asked for an interview because I’ve just decided to change my stage name,” she says.

“I’ve been known as Melz because my name is Melanie. But I found it difficult for people to fire criticism at Melz so in order to have a different persona, I thought, right, I am going to change my name .

“And I’m now known as Mistee K.” Her middle name is Maharata, after an aunty, and it means “misty” “And the K, that represents this place right here, none other than Kohupatiki, my home,” she says.

‘I want to promote our culture and te reo Maori overseas’ Mistee K wrote her first song when she was 10. It was called So Baby and she recorded it when she was 11, managing to get it played on a Napier radio station. Then followed an album, Mistee Memories Scene 1, which comprised 17 original songs she recorded in two days in Taupo.

“I made 300 copies, released the album in Hastings outside a shop we had and all 300 sold. My uncle said, do you want to record some more but I didn’t want to be greedy and Pg 22

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just said I’d wait until I can work on a new album.”

The wait has been almost five years long as a career in the navy intervened when she was 17.

“Mum and dad were also in the navy and I am glad mum pushed me to go because the experience of being in the military has inspired me to write more songs.”

The flavour of the new album will have “a Maori essence” along with a ‘90s influenced R’n’B/hip-hop slant.

“I want it to have that kind of SWV, Mariah Carey and Motown feel with funk and jazz infused. I haven’t seen anything in the market like that so it will be quite unique,” she says Mistee K was in the middle of writing her first te reo Maori song when she met with Waiata for this story. She hopes to release a te reo album as well.

“At the end of the day all good things take time, so I named the album, In Good Time,” she says.

An opportunity to perform as one of three backing vocalists at a Rugby World Cup festival event last year came with some highs and lows.

“I auditioned and from a group of 60, I was selected with two other singers. I took leave from the navy without pay … but didn’t ended up getting paid by the management of the performer I was singing for.

“It was a lesson that I learnt, to get a contract signed first. I am usually careful about these things and run everything past my mum. But on this occasion it was for the world cup, I thought I needed to get in quickly and so I decided to dive right in.”

The positives to come out of the experience included the chance to be guided by well-known New Zealand performers Taisha, who is the Waiata Maori Music Awards ambassador, and Tina Cross.

“Music is my first love, it is my soul food. I love performing live and singing with a live band. I envisage myself singing and performing at

uMistee K's Advice For people looking for a career in music: “Make sure you have someone around you that you can trust, my mum was that person for me.

The main thing is to remain humble, remember where you came from, remember where you started.”

festivals overseas. I want to promote our culture and te reo Maori overseas because when it comes down to it, that is the one thing which sets us apart from everyone else.”

She officially moved out of the navy at the end of 2011 but maintains a

connection through her new job as event administrator at the navy’s Te Taua Moana Marae in Auckland. The move has given her more flexibility to focus on music and she hopes one day to be able to give back to the Hawke’s Bay community where her love for singing began.

“I remember a story in the Hastings leader and the headline was, sailor by day and singer by night,” she says.

“I got so many calls after that from school principals asking for me to come and talk to their students.

“Now I’m not with the navy I have a bit more time and I really want to work with rangatahi to show them you can have a career and pursue your dreams at the same time.

“I am living proof of that.”

SONG WRITER Huia Hamon

Writing your own recipe for music SINGER AND SONG WRITER HUIA HAMON OFFERS HER THOUGHTS ON WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL TE REO MAORI ALBUM, AFTER completing THE TATOU TATOU E, VOLUME 2 PROJECT. Recipe: take a stunning view of the Waitakere ngahere, add sparkley smooth analogue gear at Kog Studio, a massive cup of aroha and a handful of ataahua friends who can sing!

Mash it together with an amazing tikanga Maori advisor and bake sporadically between six months and year.

Finish with a dash of promotion for sweetening and out pops a yummy hot fresh album in te reo Maori…sounds simple - right?

Making any album is an exciting and rewarding process and there is no one recipe that works.

At times it is not easy and much like baking, it’s all about the final result. Here’s my journey with te reo Maori music starting at Kog Studio, what the future holds and why it tastes so good to all involved.

To begin, if I were granted one wish to make the recipe mix easier, I would wish I were born a native Maori speaker. I felt the language and the culture aligned with my life’s core beliefs but never had the chance to expand my understanding of the language.

Once I began to work with the iwi radio stations, I felt there was a need for high-level production Maori music that had a mainstream sound.

After receiving invaluable guidance we had our first song translated by Ruia Aperahama, from there, the album process flowed. With the assistance of Te Mangai Paho and many hours of love, we now create opportunities at

Huia Hamon.

Kog Studio for others to learn and explore the language of their tupuna.

Music crosses boundaries and borders. The singles and compilations we produce, Tatou tatou e (V1 and 2) provide a career platform and create income for up-and-coming and established artists such as Pieter T, J Geeks, Ruia, Amanda Ashton, Poutama Paki, Mana Epiha, Hani Totorewa (of Tigerhour /Katchafire), Porina, Regz Riri, Ron Mak, Dmon (Nesian Mystik), P-14, Chong-Nee, Rachel Fraser and Collabro.

For many of these singers, their finished tracks are their first to be released and their first time learning te reo Maori.

What I believe makes the compilation defined

a group of young men look to turn their common love for dance and music into a career performing in front of the fans.

Young Men Society, the new hit trio to come out of Australia, is proving popular with New Zealand audiences after a successful tour supporting Reece Mastin around Aoteroa in April.

YMS features Nate Tamati, the son of former Kiwi rugby league star Kevin Tamati. The multi-cultural line up of the urban pop band also includes Andi Tiamoura, who is Indonesia, and Joshua Fonmoa whose whakapapa connects to Rotoma, near Fiji.

Nate was born in 1985 when his father was playing rugby league for Warrington in the English rugby league www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

competition. He went to school in the UK but now lives in Sydney, where he met Andi and Joshua three years ago.

They discovered a shared bond over love of dance and music and decided to try their luck entering the X-Factor Australia competition in 2011.

The band managed to generate a strong following during The X-Factor, finishing in the Top 8 while the overall winner was Reece Mastin.

YMS had been mentored on The X-Factor by Irish pop singer Ronan Keating and their exit from the contest was considered a “shock result” by media covering the show.

as Maori music is the kaiwaiata are all of Maori descent and the lyrics are all in te reo Maori.

We feel making music is a healing process and the end product of an international level wellproduced te reo Maori album is very satisfying.

Opening the new kaiwaiata to the recording process, their native language, dialect and tikanga Maori is a joy thing to see and hear.

It’s also our pleasure to send the albums out to our iwi station whanau all over the motu and indigenous radio that also support our mainstream music. There is a bigger broader world music market that I’m yet to engage with and hope to carve a path for the future of te reo Maori music.

It would appear though the end of The X-Factor contest was just the beginning of their musical career journey. The band is now managed by Aussie talent firm, Parade Management, in Sydney, which also takes care of Mastin and Australian Idol winner, Stan Walker.

YMS performed as the support act for The X-Factor Australia winner Mastin, on his New Zealand road tour in April, which included shows across four cities, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and in Nate’s father’s home town, Napier in Hawke’s Bay. Taking inspiration from their idols Chris Brown and Michael Jackson, the trio

is well known for their distinct ability to infuse their style of song and dance with thick pop/urban flavours with a twist of barber-shop quartet elements, making them a hit with all age groups.

YMS. YMS’s debut single, We Own The Night, was launched onto the Official New Zealand Top 40 Singles on April 16, 2012. It was in the Top 40 Singles for one week with a highest position of No.28. The band’s performance in Napier impressed Waiata Maori Music Awards executive director Tama Huata, who is working on a proposal to bring YMS back to New Zealand in the near future.

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Album reviews Selected releases

Dust & Dirt, The Black Seeds With four studio albums behind them, on their fifth album The Black Seeds continue to build on their own special brand of roots, reggae, dub and funk infused music.

With Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman still in charge, vocally at least, it’s not hard to see why The Black Seeds are still right up there as one of Aotearoa’s best bands, and doing so well around the world.

The title track owes more to reggae than anything else, while the atmospheric Out of Light and upbeat Pippy Pip are instantly recognisable for their The Black Seeds “sound”.

The slightly jazzy Loose Cartilage takes off in a slightly different direction, while the rocking Frostbite carries a mean bass line.

As for the funky Cracks In Our Crown and the epic final track Rusted Story, both deserve to be played at full volume.

Having said that, will new listeners like it? I should think so. Will fans be satisfied or think it’s just more of the same? Possibly. But it’s good

enough for me. See story, page 26.

7/10, by Tania McCauley.

Fly My Pretties IV The fourth album from the 16 strong collective of diverse Kiwi musicians shows what can happen when they can feed off each other’s strengths and talents, take it on stage, and just go for it.

That’s what this album sounds like – nothing forced, and everyone has a chance to shine and is having a good time doing it, whether it’s on a guitar laden track, pared back to just piano, voice and wailing, eerie guitar, bringing in some dub or reggae, or blasting out some raw, feeling bluesy rock.

There’s the opener Doorstep Blues, the powerful yet gentle Apple Heart and Three Feathers, or the bluesy I Am Gone, guitar driven Please, and epic funky Turnaround to round things off.

It features all The Black Seeds, including Fly My Pretties cofounder Barnaby Weir, plus Fran Kora from Kora, Iraia Whakamoe, James Coyle and Ryan Prebble from the Nudge, Anna Coddington and Amiria Grenell just to name

a few. If you missed the chance to see the shows last year from which this album is drawn, it surely captures the essence of those live gigs and should go a long way towards making up for it.

8/10, by Tania McCauley.

Way of the Dub, Knights of the DUB Table Summer is what I think of when I listen to the debut album of Hamilton 6-piece Knights of the DUB Table.

Drawing strongly on their reggae influences, with drum n’ bass, hip hop, rock in the mix, the title track’s strong, deep grooves bring in a little bit of funk too.

There’s the cruisy Running Out, the fast and bass-y And She Says, and the more acoustic sounding Cool Rider that brings Way... to a close. I do wonder why they didn’t go for the second to last track, the rocking, guitar laden Fly to finish things off, but maybe a slow wind down was the idea. The standout for me is Lonely, with its massive sound, great harmonies and guitar. It might over eight minutes long but it didn’t

drag at all. Sometimes I could hear echoes, I think, of early Salmonella Dub, or be reminded of Six60, but overall, there should be plenty here to keep listeners satisfied.

I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing these guys live, but after hearing this I’d like to. See story, page 27.

7/10, by Tania McCauley.

Seth Haapu (Self titled) Tv chatter is an interesting way to open an album, but in Seth Haapu’s case, it works.

The opening bars of Hurly Burly segues into Talk talk talk, a funky little number showcasing his range which has shades of (American Idol) Adam Lambert about it, but without the harsh undertone.

Singing about having a broken heart or feeling blue about a relationship is nothing new, but Haapu keeps it fresh, mixing up his messages with upbeat catchy tunes, such as Owe You Nothing, or the 60s feel Final Destination.

It’s good too, that the lush

Seth lets his music TAKE THE LEAD A BOY FROM NEW ZEALAND’S ‘RIVER TOWN’ EXPLAINS WHAT IT TAKES TO RECORD A DEBUT ALBUM.

Ko Ruapehu toku maunga Ko Whanganui toku awa Ko te Atihaunui-a-Paparangi toku iwi Ko kai iwi toku moana Ko aotea toku waka Seth Haapu.

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Ko Whanganui toku turangawaewae

Young singer Seth Haapu has a goal of one day performing at New York’s prestigious Madison Square Garden. But for the time being he’s happy for something a little bit closer to home.

“There’s a cosy bar in Auckland called Tabac that reminds me of a smokey 1950s saloon,” Seth says.

“It’s really unassuming with an authentic vintage vibe and it’s probably one of my favourite venues to perform at.”

The 24-year-old, originally from Whanganui and from Te Atihaunuia-Paparangi iwi, released his self-

titled debut album in 2011 and is now focusing on bigger challenges to take his career to the next level.

“I’m just grateful to have released an album and I’m happy working towards getting better at song writing and my craft as a musician and performer,” Seth says.

“I’m still a young developing artist and I’ve learned a lot over the past three years being signed to Sony and working in the music industry.

“I’d like to learn a whole lot more before my next album and hopefully travel overseas again to spark the next journey of inspiration,” he says.

Tania McCauley and Apikara Te Rangi review six albums released during the 2011/2012 year. Suggest an album for review, email: waiatamaori_media@vodafone.co.nz

production doesn’t ever seem to overpower his voice, and complements it instead, especially on the reggae tinged Fingertips, and the slightly more melancholic, stripped back Silent Commotion and Keeping Count.

Haapu’s music is a little bit of many things, perhaps more pop than anything else, and the saccharine tone might be too much for some listeners. But I hope he continues to put out songs which convey what he wants to say without being too overwrought. He should be proud of what he’s achieved with his first album. See story below.

6.5/10, by Tania McCauley.

The Best of Moana and The Tribe Moana and the Tribe’s latest album release is a collection of some their best songs, which made me reminisce back to the times that they were originally released.

Since the early ‘90s the sounds of Moana Maniapoto and her Moa Hunters, as they were known then, have serenaded our Kiwi music history while promoting her own point of view.

Titokowaru always reminds me of the New Zealand film Crooked

Seth describes his first album as a mix of classical, pop, folk, R’n’B which have “definite elements” which reach beyond the typical confines of pop music.

“But these days pop, as a genre, is pretty eclectic. Pop music is melodic and I’m drawn to that and the notion of taking an idea and translating it into something that might be universally understood,” he says.

Recording the album made him realise the big step he needed to take into making a professional career in music.

“I remember being in a booth at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios feeling like this inexperienced kid from a river town put alongside accomplished musos who had played for the likes of Kanye West and Brooke Fraser,” Seth says “We knocked out a few songs in a day just to see how things would go and I remember knowing deep down the vibe wasn’t quite right.”

Seth remembers the hurdle being “my own self doubt”. www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

Earth and is one of many examples of what many of her often rebellious songs are about.

Whether it is peace, love and family, to political issues of war and of course our own indigenous issues of the Treaty and our link to the land. The album doesn’t push her views onto you, especially if you know some of the songs but it does make you think.

Black Pearl was always a favourite which doesn’t sound like it has been remastered, while the song Tahi has been remixed on this album to be a nice slower version of the original. It’s a typical mix of traditional and contemporary elements that is unique to Moana Maniapoto.

Included on the album is Titia, a slow but funky song that is a tribute to the late activist and leader Syd Jackson. And funky sums up the tone of this album which has a blend of hip-hop with haka infused into it.

The album has 17 tracks from Moana’s four albums as well as a few from the studio and concert gigs, which are raw. The vocals are always beautiful, and it’s an album to sit back and sing along to. And because it is a bi-lingual album it

‘Pop music is melodic and I’m drawn to that’ “So I went to bed that night and woke up the next day with a clearer confidence to make the best music I could make in that moment.

“I’d come from recording on a humble home set up to a state of the art recording studio and that was daunting. I’m hugely grateful to have had a sturdy team who instilled some good advice throughout the process and encouraged me to take full creative control and self produce the record,” he says.

Seth has a few favourites on the album, including the song Bones, which was penned in Sydney.

“It’s based around the idea of calling someone out of a negative past and

can suit anyone with any level of proficiency in te reo Maori.

This talented singer/song writer has managed to capture in this album the many memories which is a part of our maori music history.

Rating 8/10, by Api Te Rangi.

Miharo - He Kohikohinga Waiata Maori At the end of listening to this album Miharo, a collection of te reo Maori songs from various artists, I have to say that I didn’t feel very miharo at all.

The album starts with a groovy welcoming song Whakatau mai ra by Ora Taukamo and leads into some beautiful vocals in the next few tracks, especially the gorgeous duet of Robert Ruha and Ria Hall.

But the further you get into the album, the more you wish the songs would change in tempo to keep you hooked.

Most of the artists on the album I am unfamiliar with but the quality of the Maori language that is used is outstanding. While they perform in a variety of musical settings like reggae, R ‘n’ B, folk, pop, classical and Pacific Islands, the tempo of the album is slow. By the time you get to the second to last song

into a better future,” he says.

“It’s special to me because I can relate to the song on a personal level, basically observing people go through some tough life challenges.

“I’ve always imagined to write music that has some meaning, nothing too exhaustive or profound, just songs with good messages. For me Bones is one of them and the hope is that it might resonate with someone who needs a bit of light in a dark place.”

So what does it take to write a good song? “Songs tell stories and I reckon most people are good at storytelling. “Couple that with a uSeth's Advice When it comes to offering advice to others, Seth employs this quote from Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

you get a slight pick me up with Kerepeti Paraone’s reggae song, but then it finishes with a lullaby sounding song.

I am sure they are all talented artists; I think however that how the album was compiled, would suit anyone looking for something to play in the background. It will no doubt do well on iwi radio, some tracks more than others.

Pungawerewere by Rongomai Taiapa-Aporo had some great guitar work along with some lovely vocals, including waiata about a spider using beautiful Maori descriptive words. So It was great to hear a mixture of immerging artists. I am sure it can be enjoyed by those fluent in Maori because of the essence and quality of the reo used.

I don’t often criticise Maori language albums, it’s already a hard enough industry for Maori artists as it is. And while you can enjoy each song individually, I wouldn’t listen to all 10 tracks in a row. With an album named Miharo, meaning “admire, amazement, and impress”, I guess I expected a lot more!

Rating 6/10, by Api Te Rangi.

basic melody and you’ve got the foundation of a song.,” Seth explains.

From the recording studio to the live stage, this is where Seth says he enjoys working the most.

“You enter this different state of consciousness where you let go and let the music take over. It’s the letting go that I love, being free and in the moment,” he says.

Performing live, singing and playing instruments has come naturally.

“My great-grandfather, Tio Paki Haapu, was a multi- instrumentalist and songwriter so it was cool to have those skills passed down.

“Mum’s side were athletic and she really only started singing in her early 20s. She has a beautiful voice, performing as lead vocalist in a family band playing everything from Ricki Lee Jones and Jazz standards to Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.

“Studying classical piano as a kid was a good introduction into a new field of sound. The exposure to different genres has given me a broad palette to create my own music.”

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PROFILE

Black Seeds

Roots, reggae & waiata maori Black Seeds percussionist and guitarist Mike Fabulous is just turning off the jug after another late night or recording, which really went into the early hours of the morning.

He’s been rehearsing for the band’s 45-date international tour of its fourth and latest album, Dust and Dirt, released in April.

But this particular week he’s also been recording two albums for some friends at the band’s studio in Wellington.

“We did the first album over four nights, four mammoth sessions into the night which ended about 3am and 5am,” Mike says.

“The project is for a band called, The Yoots, which is run by Joe Lindsay from Fat Freddy’s

‘I love playing live but the studio is really where I want to be.

IN BETWEEN RECORDING A NEW ALBUM WITH THE BLACK SEEDS, MIKE FABULOUS IS HELPING A FEW MATES PRODUCE An ALBUM DEDICATED TO TRADITIONAL MAORI SONGS.

Drop. The idea is that is an instrumental version of Maori waiata that people can sing along to,” he says.

And indeed the same of the album is, Sing Along With The Yoots. There are 12 tracks in total featuring such famous songs as Tutira Mai, E Te Ariki and Hoki Mai. “We already did one of these albums last year and that one sold really well. It’s kind of styles from Jamaica, that rock steady, jazz type version of songs,” Mike says.

“It’s a cool idea that’s going well at a few festival gigs over summer.”

The other album he’s worked on during this particular week is one for Shogun Orchestra, a work heavily influenced by Ethiopian music, jazz, a real international sound, Mike says.

“There’s a group very similar to the bunch of musicians playing on The Yoots album, people I’ve worked with for many years.”

Recording in the studio is Mike’s favoured part of his job with the Black Seeds and so it’s no surprise he’s the force behind the band’s latest album.

“I recorded, engineered and mixed the album and it’s a side of the work that I like the most,” he says.

“I love playing live but I think the studio is really where I want to be. It’s good being in a popular band but I have to think about what’s going to happen when I am no longer young and it’s something that I can keep on doing.”

Dust and Dirt was “a pleasant album” to make because there weren’t “any great time pressures” on the band.

“We didn’t have that feeling of the clock ticking and money burning up by the second. That made the whole process more relaxed … and yes it has made a huge difference and you can hear that in the album.”

Black Seeds music is hugely popular with Maori audiences which Mike says is probably down to the “reggae music lineage” which was a big hit coming out of Jamaica in the 1980s.

“I think we have connected with that sound with those themes of indigenous struggle, which I guess is part of the music,” he says.

“Reggae is popular everywhere but more so in New Zealand because we are an island nation. I haven’t been to Jamaica but from what I understand there are quite a lot of parallels there. It makes more sense for reggae to be popular here than somewhere like Iceland which has a completely different climate and geographical setting.”

Mike acknowledges the rise in roots/reggae bands in the past decade with the Black Seeds among other groups like Trinity Roots and Fat Freddy’s Drop to emerge from that scene in the early 2000s.

“I think it’s a little bit mysterious why reggae has become popular here, I guess it’s become more mainstream in New Zealand now. It’s fairly timeless though. If it wasn’t popular there would still be a large body of people into it.”

Mike says he’s learning “new stuff ” in the music industry all the time and it’s not the kind of job where one stops learning at a certain point.

“There are so many talented people working in the industry that I think in my case it came down to luck and being in the right place, meeting a whole lot of people that I connected with.”

uMike's Advice For people looking for a career in the music industry: “Music is a wonderful thing to have as part of your life, whether that be for your job or hobby. If you just sing or pick up and play an instrument for the love of it, you can’t go wrong with that approach.”

The Black Seeds.

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PROFILE

Knights of the Dub Table

The Knights CHARGE AHEAD DEDICATION, UNITY AND BROTHERHOOD FORM THE CORE VALUES OF A DUBFLAVOURED BAND OUT ON A MISSION to conquer music industry.

A project which initially aimed to produce dub versions of songs by favourite New Zealand bands has instead found success making original music combining elements of reggae, drum ‘n’ bass, hip-hop and rock.

They are called the Knights of the Dub Table and are on the verge of applying their unique blend of dub-flavoured music to Australia, Canada and Europe after four years of performing live around New Zealand.

The Knights also released their debut album, The Way Of the Dub, late last year and toured the new work around the country during the 2011/12 summer season.

Interviewing the band can take some negotiation as each member also goes by a fictional character used for their work in music.

‘I think our music is a breath of fresh air amongst all the pop music and roots reggae www.waiatamaoriawards.co.nz

There’s Mr. Sammy Samson (Reti Hedley, Tuwharetoa), Saximus Arealist (Matutaera Herangi, Ngati Mahuta, Ngati Mahanga), Sir Cypher (Tim Heal), Frankanello (Frank Ahuriri, Ngati Porou), Ada’mantix (Adam Jones), Dr. Umm (Waylon Turanga-Bowker, Tuwharetoa) and Papa Barry Tones (Pete Hall).

Mr Sammy Samson says the group was looking for a name with “global appeal” which allowed the it to tell a story.

“Knights of the DUB table conjures up images and ideas around a group of people who have dedicated themselves to a kaupapa,” he explains.

“Our kaupapa is to uphold the values and beliefs of our fictional ruler King Tubby (Dedication, Unity, Brotherhood). Our story has universal themes which all peoples of all cultures can relate with.”

Mr Sammy Samson (vocals and guitars) is among the three original band members with Sir Cypher (bass) and Sax’imus (MC and sax).

The three met while studying music at Waikato Institute of Technology in 2007 and the following year decided to join forces as The Knights of the Dub Table.

“Initially we wanted to do dub versions of songs by our favourite New Zealand bands but ended up going down the original music path.

“Some of our biggest influences were local bands such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Trinity Roots, Kora, The Black Seeds, as well as dub legends, king Tubby, Sly and Robbie, Mad Professor.”

Touring the debut album has been a welcomed

task which concluded with a guest appearance of Television New Zealand’s Good Morning show in late March.

“Our mission was to go out and share our music with all the dub-heads in the North Island and to pay homage to our supporters in an effort to strengthen and develop our fan base.

“Those who came out really enjoyed our live material and were overwhelmed by the quality of our dub sound.”

The 10-track debut album is all original music with the majority composed by Mr Sammy Samson and Sir Cypher.

“I think our music is a breath of fresh air amongst all the pop music and roots reggae saturating the airwaves these days. Genuine uniqueness is our strength.You can’t mistake us for any one else.”

When it comes to inspiration, The Knights say Kora is “definitely blazing the path” for DUB and electronica, with funky dance styles “they’ve developed over the years”.

“They are proof that if you stick to your guns, the people will come. Katchafire who is also from Waikato, are making a real mark on the US right now.”

For The Knights, there are some clear guidelines to follow in order to make it in the music industry.

“We have learnt that we must be clear about the reasons we do what we do, and our motivations need to be realistic. Fame and fortune is extremely rare but self-expression and sharing with others is both achievable and fulfilling.”

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Te MATATINI Preview 2013

Kapa haka SUPREMACY TEAMS PREPARE FOR 20TH NATIONAL KAPA HAKA COMPETITION IN ROTORUA.

BY APIKARA TE RANGI. It’s noT AN extreme sport, but it is extremely well disciplined. It is the dance of Tanerore, which is like the quivering of air on a hot day, and it is of course kapa haka.

Kapa haka is commonly used to describe modern day performance of traditional and contemporary Maori song. And next year, groups from 13 regions across New Zealand and Australia will meet at the Senior National Kapa Haka competition known as Te Matatini, from February 20-24 in Rotorua.

There have been many Maori festivals and Polynesian events since the 1960s and Te Matatini Incorporated Society developed Te Matatini in 1972.

Its focus continues to include fostering, developing and protecting Maori performing arts, and they have definitely achieved that goal with the calibre of the competition seen on stage in the past four decades.

Regional competitions have been held this year and the winners selected to perform at next year’s Te Matatini Festival. For Kahungunu Te Rerenga Kōtuku and Ngati Ranginui will take to the stage, for Tainui Te Iti Kahurangi, Ngā Pou o Roto and Te Pou i Mangataawhiri. For Te

Te Rerenga Kotuku, at the Ngati Kahungunu kapa haka regional competitions in Hawke’s Bay.

Arawa region Tuhourangi – Ngati Wahiao, Te Maataarae i Orehu, Nga Uri o Te Whanoa, Kataora, Manaia and Nga Potiki a Hinehopu will get to perform for their home crowd. Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Opotiki-Mai-I-Tawhiti, Ruatāhuna Kākahu Maukū, Tauiramaitawhiti, and Te Karu (Ruatoki) will represent the Mātaatua region. In the Tairawhiti area Waihirere along with Whangara Mai Tawhiti, Tu Te Manawa Maurea and Te Hokowhitu a Tu will add to the impressive line up. Along with Tū te Mataora from the Rangitane region and Hātea, Muriwhenua and Hokianga from Te Taitokerau.

Over the past couple of months other regional qualifiers have been selected. Te Tau Ihu: Te Whatukura; Waitaha: Te Ahikomau a Hamoterangi, Nga Manu a Tane and Te Kotahitanga; Aotea: Te Reanga Morehu o Ratana, Te Matapihi, Nga Purapura o Te Taihauauru; Tamaki Makaurau: Te Waka Huia, Nga Tumanako, Te Manu Huia and Te Toka Tu Manawa; Te Whanganui a tara was to hold its regional competition at the time of print.

Our relations over the ditch representing Te Whenua Moemoea (Australia) held their regionals in

Ngati Ranginui qualified for Te Matatini 2013, at the Ngati Kahungunu kapa haka regionals in Hawke’s Bay.

Canberra in March where 11 roopu competed. There were three winners: Te Raranga Whanui from Sydney, Turanga Ake from Brisbane and Nga Manu Waiata from Melbourne.

Waihirere (Tairawhiti) who also won in 1979, 1988, 1998, and 2002. Te Waka Huia (Tamaki makaurau) were also strong competitors winning in 1986, 1992, 1994 and 2009. Te Maataarae i Orehu (Te Arawa) first won it in 2000 in Ngaruawahia and again last year in Gisborne.

Te Matatini competition preliminaries are held over three days, with groups performing a range of performance

Presented by National Waiata Maori Music Awards

2012 Te Koanga

Fashion Show Te Koanga: Celebrating New Beginnings & New Spring Season.

An evening mixing Maori music & Maori fashion. Special guest models, Miss Aotearoa 2012 contestants.

Hawke’s Bay Opera House, Hastings, Thursday, September 13, 2012.

Tickets: www.ticketek.co.nz. For more info: reception@takitimu.ac.nz Pg 28

| HOTOKE/WINTER 2012

disciplines. Each performance is judged against set criteria.

Those teams with the highest combined marks from their competition pool move on to compete in the competition finals on the last day of the festival.

The competition is like a battlefield that takes place on stage in a controlled environment. The national festival is the world’s largest celebration of Māori performing arts taking place at the International Stadium in Rotorua.

Visit: www.tematatini.co.nz

M A O R I M U S I C AWA R D S

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14 , 2012 th

HAWKE'S BAY OPERA HOUSE, HASTINGS Tickets on sale now

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SEPTEMBER 13 TE KOANGA MAORI MUSIC FASHION SHOW

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NZ ON AIR LOVES

T I K I

T A A N E A N D

S T A N

W A L K E R

WINNERS OF THE NZ ON AIR RADIO AIRPLAY AWARD AT THE WAIATA MAORI AWARDS IN 2009, 2010 AND 2011

TUMEKE KORUA!

N Z

M U S I C

O N

N Z

R A D I O

W W W . K I W I H I T S . C O . N Z

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