T\u016btira mai ng\u0101 iwi: it\u2019s time we put the waiata of Waitangi eve under a lens.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s in a waiata? That which we call a banger, by any other ingoa would sound just as good. Unless it\u2019s something like \u2018Te Aroha\u2019 \u2013 at that point, you need to expand your song book.<\/p>\n
One of the best things about attending a kaupapa M\u0101ori event \u2013 whether it be Matariki, Te Matatini, or anything in between \u2013 is hearing a damn good waiata. On the treaty grounds during Waitangi week, our politicians like to get involved too, typically pulling out the classic crowd pleasers learnt in primary school, or the waiata frequently sung at state services. So, what did our parliamentarians sing this Waitangi eve, for what reason, and could they have done better?<\/p>\n
\u2018Ng\u0101 Whakamoemiti\u2019<\/p>\n
A pretty standard waiata which gets the job done. Can\u2019t blame M\u0101ori development minister Tama Potaka for going with this one after being the first speaker on the government side of the p\u0101. This tune is a mihi, usually whipped out by manuhiri as a form of giving thanks, or at church service. And it\u2019s a major improvement on Te P\u0101ti National\u2019s rendition of \u2018Te Aroha\u2019 at last year\u2019s Waitangi celebrations.<\/p>\n
Tama Potaka and his wife (left) really carried this one.<\/p>\n
Shout out to Potaka\u2019s wife, Ariana Paul, for jumping in and saving the likes of prime minister Christopher Luxon from having to carry something akin to a harmony. But at least finance minister Nicola Willis gave it a bit of a go.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ko te Tiriti\u2019<\/p>\n
Trust the Green Party to whip out a waiata that reminds us why we\u2019re all actually here. And props to Greens MP H\u016bhana Lyndon for leading a hearty charge on this one. Admittedly, The Spinoff has limited reference to the origins of this waiata, but it does have a recommendation for next year\u2019s choice for the Greens to keep on theme: Hirini Melbourne\u2019s \u2018Waitangi te Tiriti\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Greens weren\u2019t the most harmonious, but they were the most stylish.
\n\u2018E Ngaki\u2019<\/p>\n
Labour pulled this out following a speech by soon-to-be-gone Labour MP Peeni Henare. It\u2019s a Ng\u0101ti Hine waiata, which was actually penned by Henare\u2019s brother Tatai Henare, a well-respected singer up north. The parliamentary Henare also has a pretty nice voice, too \u2014 especially at karaoke<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was a beautiful moment while the song was sung on the p\u0101, with the haukainga of Te Whare R\u016bnanga attempting to bring Henare onto their side, as a form of homecoming. Henare politely declined, but the moment was moving all the same. 10\/10, no notes, ka pai.<\/p>\n An undeniable classic, but at what cost? Sure, everyone joined in when New Zealand First whipped this banger out on the marae, but this reporter\u2019s first thought upon hearing deputy leader Shane Jones cry a mighty \u201ct\u016btira mai \u2026\u201d was, goddamn, not this again.<\/p>\n But how did this waiata actually become so popular? Well, it was composed back in 1950 by Canon W\u012b Te Tau Huata, an Anglican priest and chaplain to the 28th M\u0101ori battalion and former kuini\u00a0Te Atairangik\u0101hu, while he drove along Lake T\u016btira. Huata shared the waiata in churches, and by the 1960s, it was picked up by the Ministry of Education and spread throughout schools, but without Huata\u2019s consent or credit. In 2017, his daughter Ngatai Huata let us know we\u2019ve all been singing it wrong<\/a> for over 50 years.<\/p>\nNg\u0101ti Hine chairman Waihoroi Shortland invites Peeni Henare over to the haukainga side.
\n\u2018T\u016btira Mai Ng\u0101 Iwi\u2019<\/p>\nYou could truly only hear the booming voice of matua Jones.<\/p>\n