Te Piringa

'Te Piringa' is a waiata about being away from the people you love, and missing those loved ones a lot, it's a waiata te reo Māori. I think trying to use more te reo Māori and incorporate Māori values into our lives more, it's such a cool experience to be able to do that on the other side of the world.

– Musician Len Blake on working on 'Te Piringa' in London, in episode 11 of Waiata Anthems' 2023 season

Ngāti Rānana are the London kapa haka group, they're an amazing kaupapa and it is so nice to have such access to te reo Māori and to kapa haka so far away.

– Len Blake on working with Ngāti Rānana, in episode 11 of Waiata Anthems' 2023 season

We meet up and we do waiata, we have a kai, all of those really important things in te ao Māori. It's been awesome learning this waiata, it means for us as Māori and as Kiwis living in London, a lot to us. It really resonates with all of us, being here away from home and our families having that longing to return.

– Ngāti Ranana member Mereaira Jones on 'Te Piringa', in episode 11 of Waiata Anthems' 2023 season

At first, it was just another beautiful song that Helen [Len] had written, and the longer that Helen has been away the stronger the meaning of that song becomes. 'Te Piringa' means coming together, lament, longing. Helen's been away from home for well over a year now and I'm sure all of her whānau can resonate with the lyrics in the track: He maunga motu ake, feeling like a stand-alone mountain. I do miss her, I do miss my homie Len.

– Musician Nikau Te Huki on the lyrics of 'Te Piringa', in episode 11 of Waiata Anthems' 2023 season