Martino Michael

Martino Michael (Tino) is a New Zealander with Fijian, Sāmoan, Tokelauan, Tuvaluan, American and Scottish heritage.

He calls himself a “fruit salad”, proud to be a born and bred New Zealand kiwi. He has been singing and playing his guitar, entertaining people for over 30 years and enjoys it because he says; “It’s impossible to be lonely if you can play the guitar”. He loves creating songs and music and feels that people can learn through many avenues. His inspiration comes from his own experiences and through talking with others about theirs. Although this is his first celebration of the Moon Festival, he feels it is an opportunity to be thankful for the blessings we receive and an opportunity to acknowledge the moon and be thankful for our gifts.

His previous encounters with the moon were purely practical as a guide to when he needed information about when the moon would be full or tide information was required. However, when he started talking to people about their encounters with the moon, he heard stories and myths from the cultures he came from, stories about Sina the Sāmoan goddess, Hine toa and Hine ora and mana wahine, the strength of women in society. When talking to some of the men in his family, Tino was fascinated by their experiences after falling asleep in the moonlight. In his past, it was generally admonished that “you do not sleep in the moonlight” and he always wondered why. After talking to his relatives who did just that; he was told that in their dreams the moon goddess came to them radiating an air of mystery and magic. They fell in love with her but in the end, she left them bereft as they could not capture her unattainable beauty.

Tino wanted to capture that sense of loss and longing and composed his song titled “I wish you would stay.”