Waiata Anthems - 2024 Documentaries

Episode 1: Anna Coddington — 'Kātuarehe'  
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Whakaue
A behind the scenes with singer-songwriter Anna Coddington, exploring the personality and whakaaro behind her bilingual reo Māori and English album Te Whakamiha and the language reclamation journey that shaped it.

Episode 2 : Aro Music — 'Mahoe me Patatē'
Te Rarawa, Ngaapuhi, Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua, Ngaati Mutunga
Music duo and couple Charles and Emily Looker (Aro) share how they met and the political heart of their music—rooted in whenua, taiao, and raising their tamariki as tangata whenua and tangata tiriti—and how the rising force of te reo Māori empowers Māori to create in their own language.

Episode 3: Chase Woods — 'Maiea'
Ngāti Ruanui, Rongowhakaata, Waikato
Singer, rapper, and songwriter Wirihana Nikora (Chase Woods) reflects on feeling caught between his Māori identity and the Pākehā world as a teenager, and how his musical hero, Tawaz, helped guide him back to creativity and innovation through his superpower, te reo Māori.

Episode 4: Dillastrate — 'Kei Whati Te Marama'
Ngāti Porou
Acclaimed two-piece Dillastrate share how they met, the challenges they’ve faced together, and the story behind their song 'Kei Whati Te Marama'—a celebration of love and connection.

Episode 5: Jordyn with a Why — 'Māku Anō'
Tainui Āwhiro, Ngāti Koata
Singer Jordyn with a Why reflects on social media as a vehicle for Māori self-determination, her journey into songwriting in te reo Māori, and the creative process behind album Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice, and the waiata 'Māku Anō'.

Episode 6: Mā — 'Pūha me te Porohewa'
Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Tūhoe
Singer-songwriter Mā channels her hōhā toward racism and politics into her waiata, 'Pūha me te Porohewa', creating a safe space for Māori to express their riri and emotions through music.

Episode 7: Majic — 'Taku Mana'
Te Taoū, Ngāti Whātua ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri
Mother and singer-songwriter Majic Pāora makes magic in the studio as she records her waiata 'Taku Mana' with her brother Robbie Pāora, written about the mana motuhake of the Māori people.

Episode 8: Mārei — 'Tahi Ka Riri'
Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi
Mārei writes and records 'Tahi Ka Riri' with her mother, Ngatapa Black, drawing on her emotions — riri and hōhā — and writing them into her waiata reo Māori.

Episode 9: Mohi Allen — 'My Love'
Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa
The wharekai at award-winning Māori artist Mohi Allen’s marae is in need of repair, so he turns to what he does best—staging a music performance to raise funds and give back to his haukāinga.

Episode 10: Nikau Grace — 'Rapua te mea Ngaro'
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Te Arawa
Growing up, Nikau Grace Chater felt that tamariki in her hometown of Kawerau weren’t always supported to reach their dreams. She returns to her local school, Kawerau Putauaki, to talk with the kids about their aspirations and wants to inspire them through her waiata 'Rapua te mea Ngaro'.

Episode 11: REED. — 'Murimuri Aroha'
Ngāti Maniapoto
REED. (Sasha Te Whare), shares his reo Māori songwriting journey, which began at Māori SongHubz and has since led to lifelong friendships. His new waiata, 'Murimuri Aroha', is about his partner leaving to pursue her career—a sombre kaupapa he feels is best expressed through the poetry and metaphor of te reo Māori.

Episode 12: Tawaz — 'Tātarakihi'
Rangitāne
Tawaz supports other Māori musicians as a kaiwaiata, kaiwhakatangi pūoro, kaitito waiata, and mātanga reo, so finding time to write his own music can be a challenge. After a kōrero by Maisey Rika at a Māori songwriting hui on listening to Te Taiao, Tawaz hears the sounds of the tātarakihi. That beat becomes the inspiration for his waiata 'Tātarakihi'.