Kariri (feat. Tiki Taane)

This waiata won Rob Ruha and producer Tiki Taane the 2016 APRA Maioha Award for excellence in Māori composition featuring te reo. 'Kariri', which translates to "bullet", is a retelling of East Coast Māori resistance against colonial forces in the 1800s. Ruha delivers his waiata at Te Takapau-a-Māui on Hikurangi — the sacred mountain for Ruha's Ngāti Porou people. The clash between Māori and the English is re-enacted with powerful choreography by dancers Hawaiki Tū. The costuming by designer Kiri Nathan and Sammy Salsa keeps to a palette of black and smoky grey, shot through with blood red of battle.

Kariri is the result of gun warfare, the spilling of blood, the confiscation of land, the oppression and arrest of our people. The anger spilled over and grew.

– Musician Rob Ruha explains the significance of his song Kariri, Te Ao Māori News, 29 September 2016

Key Cast & Crew

Shae Sterling

Director

Annabel Ferguson-Phillips

Producer

Sammy Salsa

Costume Designer