Waiata Anthems - 2024 Documentaries

Māori use a lot of metaphor, and so songwriting feels like a good vehicle for actually using the language in the way it evolved to be used.

– Anna on weaving metaphor into her waiata as the next step in her reo Māori journey, in episode one

Our parents didn’t grow up speaking Māori, so we didn’t grow up speaking Māori. Reclaiming te reo Māori is a big journey, you’re sort of confronting what was lost and faced with why it was lost.

– Anna on her journey of reo Māori reclamation, in episode one

To me, it felt like the line with every generation is getting stretched thin, and at some point it’s gonna snap, you know. I wanted to strengthen it rather than let it get thinner for my kids.

– Anna on her journey of reo Māori reclamation, in episode one

People who know our work will see that there’s a trend of referring to our taiao through our projects … It’s more the ngā kurahuna ki roto i ngā pūrakau nei, the hidden gems, the lessons from them is what we want to share.

– Charles on the important influence of Te Taiao in their waiata, in episode two

I’d gotten so complacent with my reo that I had lost it. It just kind of snowballed into getting further and further away from my whakapapa, fom my tīpuna; it was that feeling of whakamā and mamae that I had when I was in that space. 

– Wirihana on the disconnect he felt growing up with the Māori language and worldview and then experiencing the Pākehā world later in life, in episode three

I hope that when Māori people hear this, they walk a little taller, speak a little louder and know that you have your tūpuna behind you, your reo by your side. Kōrerotia, waipuketia te whenua i te reo Māori kia kore ai e ngaro.

– Wirihana on his waiata reo Māori, in episode three

You can’t be what you can’t see, right? So if we can proliferate waiata reo Māori as much as we possibly can, normalising reo Māori, not only in Aotearoa but also exporting it out to the world. The more that we do in that mahi, the more we add to a collective body of work that helps to enhance that.

– Tim Driver on Dillastrate adding to the canon of New Zealand music in te reo Māori, in episode four

Even for waiata reo Māori I wasn’t waiting until I’m a mātanga to start writing, just using whatever, whatever we had.

– Jordyn on starting where she was to write in te reo Māori, in episode five

I just want to kick off all the time. But it’s not that cool, and people don’t want to be around it, so learning how to find safe ways to express that because I don’t think those feelings should be ignored. I don’t think they should be suffocated or anything, otherwise that’s when big things happen. So finding safe places and safe ways to feel those are super important.

– Mā on waiata as a safe outlet for expressing riri, in episode six

I ain't gonna stay silent. This is definitely a time to stand up. This is definitely a time to speak up.

– Mā on Māori standing up and speaking out to protect their culture, in episode six

To me, mana motuhake Māori comes from your ancestors, it is a political view, and then it’s just about how you hold yourself as a person as well.

– Majic on the meaning of mana motuhake, episode seven

I just want people to know that it’s okay to feel your emotions. You’re allowed to feel angry, you’re allowed to breathe.

– Mārei on using breath to calm herself in heated moments, in episode eight

I feel like we’re at an age now as Maori, we have all of these different skills that we’ve acquired in whatever field we’re in. Each of those fields can contribute to our marae. Whether that’s music, whether that’s business, mahi kai, all of that. We all have an opportunity to use our passion, the things that we are involved with in our own lives to support our marae. That’s what I’m going to continue to do.

– Mohi Allen on using his skills and passions to support his marae, in episode nine

I think people write Kawerau off pretty quickly just because of how small it is, or things that they’ve heard. Lots of kids are told that they won’t amount to anything because “Oh, you’re from Kawerau, no one does,” you know. But I think we have incredible potential and I want other people from here to feel the same way.

– Nikau Grace Chater on the potential of Kawerau and its tamariki, in episode 10

I feel like singing in te reo Māori, for some reason it resonates and kind of calms the body down somehow. It’s a pretty special feeling.

– REED (Sasha Te Whare) on the unique and calming feeling of singing in te reo Māori, in episode 11

My role is to enhance their understanding by saying new words, sayings and proverbs that relate to their context, helping them realise, "Oh, that’s what it means".

– Tawaz on supporting other Māori music artists with their songwriting in te reo Māori, in episode 12