Moana and the Moahunters

Law graduate, documentary director and presenter Moana Maniapoto is also a longtime champion of music in te reo. With the Moahunters — vocalists Moana, Teremoana Rapley and Mina Ripia, backed by an accomplished team of funk musicians — she fused pop and hip hop with Māori culture and politics, scoring memorable singles with ‘Black Pearl’ and ‘AEIOU’ (and later a Taite Music Prize for  album Tahi). After the group disbanded in 1998, Moana and the Tribe formed in 2002. The group adds haka and video projections to create a multimedia experience which has enjoyed considerable  success on the world music circuit.