{"id":374883,"date":"2026-04-11T18:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374883\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T18:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:36:10","slug":"whakaaria-mai-new-music-video-reveals-us-evangelist-billy-grahams-connection-to-magical-maori-hymn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374883\/","title":{"rendered":"Whakaaria Mai: New music video reveals US evangelist Billy Graham\u2019s connection to magical M\u0101ori hymn"},"content":{"rendered":"

The project, Elers said, was a tribute to Billy Graham <\/a>while also recognising the M\u0101ori clergy who shaped the hymn\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican evangelist Billy Graham spoke to a packed out Carlaw Park in 1959. Photo \/ Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.<\/p>\n

During Graham\u2019s 1959 visit to New Zealand, the crusade meetings featured the hymn How Great Thou Art.<\/p>\n

Graham asked M\u0101ori Anglican priest Reverand Wi Te Tau Huata<\/a> of Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu whether there was a M\u0101ori-language version of the hymn. Elers, who also has Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu whakapapa, said that connection made the story especially meaningful for him.<\/p>\n

Together with Rev Sam Rangiihu, Huata identified an existing M\u0101ori hymn, Te Ariki, hei a au koe noho ai, a translation of the hymn Abide With Me, which shared the same metre.<\/p>\n

\"SirSir Howard Morrison’s How Great Thou Art was a Ni 1 in New Zealand in 1982.<\/p>\n

Te reo M\u0101ori words were then set to the tune of How Great Thou Art, creating the version now widely known as Whakaaria Mai.<\/p>\n

The project also reflects Graham\u2019s later connection to LeTourneau University, where he served on the university\u2019s board of trustees from 1961 to 1975. When the university\u2019s founder, R G \u201cPop\u201d LeTourneau, died in 1969, Graham sent his longtime musical associate, George Beverly Shea, to sing How Great Thou Art at the funeral.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany New Zealanders know the hymn Whakaaria Mai, but very few know the story of how Billy Graham\u2019s visit helped shape the version that is sung across the country today,\u201d Elers told the Herald.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of my favourite h\u012bmene to play on guitar. Three chords, unless you want to sound flash and add an E minor in there too,\u201d said Elers.<\/p>\n

The hymn was a No 1 hit in 1982 for Sir Howard Morrison.<\/p>\n

\"LeTourneauLeTourneau University student Glory Griffin sings How Great Thou Art in English and Te Reo M\u0101ori. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Griffin said learning the hymn was a great and meaningful experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honour to learn and sing this hymn. The message of the Gospel crosses languages and cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve told me that the M\u0101ori people are like Texans in that they love their faith, family and food. So I would love to visit your beautiful country and fellowship with y\u2019all,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n

The official music video was filmed at the Belcher Centre on the LeTourneau University campus in Longview, Texas. A companion behind-the-scenes video also explores the history of the hymn and the story behind the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have chapel here on campus a couple of times a week [Mondays and Wednesdays]. It is usually packed full of students each time,\u201c Elers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeTourneau University is a Christian [interdenominational] university – not affiliated with any denomination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am an Anglican priest back home in Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Upoko o Te Ika [part of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia] under Bishop Waitohiariki Quayle, and I am also licensed to the Episcopal Diocese of Texas [the Episcopal Church is the US member of the Anglican Communion].<\/p>\n

\"AnglicanAnglican minister Dr Steve Elers with some of the congregation at the St John the Baptist in Tyler, Texas, USA. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\u201cI take services every Sunday at churches across East Texas because there is a shortage of clergy. Sometimes I take services at two different churches on the same Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favourite churches is St John the Baptist in Tyler, Texas. It is a historical African American church. It\u2019s all older folks who attend that church, and they remind me of our kaum\u0101tua back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe East Texas churches ask me all the time to embed our reo into the services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Los\u2019e was chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban M\u0101ori organisation Wh\u0101nau Waipareira.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The project, Elers said, was a tribute to Billy Graham while also recognising the M\u0101ori clergy who shaped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8239,4057,17466,20388,117618,16840,18361,195599,21081,195601,4507,191961,195600,195598,2720,157,117,111,16652,43,139,69,13181,12900,1517,427,6642,14920,61,3040,416,195597],"class_list":{"0":"post-374883","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-american","9":"tag-behind","10":"tag-billy","11":"tag-connection","12":"tag-evangelist","13":"tag-filmed","14":"tag-graham","15":"tag-grahams","16":"tag-historical","17":"tag-hymn","18":"tag-late","19":"tag-littleknown","20":"tag-magical","21":"tag-mai","22":"tag-mori","23":"tag-music","24":"tag-new","25":"tag-new-zealand","26":"tag-newly","27":"tag-news","28":"tag-newzealand","29":"tag-nz","30":"tag-released","31":"tag-revealing","32":"tag-reveals","33":"tag-story","34":"tag-tells","35":"tag-texas","36":"tag-to","37":"tag-us","38":"tag-video","39":"tag-whakaaria"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}