Te Ao Waiata

Words by Mason Lawlor (he/him; Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Maru)

Nau mai haere atu taku reo manamanahau, taku reo mihi ki a koutou aku manu waraki o te ata hāpara e noho peka ana ki tēnei wao o Te Herenga Waka. Ki konei koekoe ai te tūī, ketekete ai te kākā, kūkū ai te kererū kia rangona ai ngā tini manu o te wao e whai ana i te mātauranga. Koutou ngā manu tātāriki kua ngū, kua kī kore i te wao nui a Tāne, e rere rā ki te whānau marama, hei whetū mō te uma o te pō. 

Tauārai o te pō ki a koutou te tini o Hakuturi, tītoko ko te ao Mārama ki ēnei manu o te wao!

Ka heke ana i ngā arawhata o te whare Student Union, ka tae ki te papatahi, ā, i taua wā tonu kua pāorooro ngā tino waiata e kaingākau e Ngāi Tauira. Tomo ana te tatau o te whare, kei reira te tauira e mahi ana i ngā mahi (tōna mahi nei) ā, kei te whakarongo ki ngā waiata Māori i runga Tiriata, ko Lowfi kē rānei ka kai ngāwari ki aku taringa. Heoi ko tātou e pīringi ana, ko tō Te Matatini ;) 

Hei whakanui i te rima tekautanga o Te Matatini, ka tāia he pukapuka, ā, ka whakaputaina he pukaemi o ngā tino waiata nō ngā tau 50 o Te Matatini. Mō ngā rā e 50, ka whakaputaina he waiata kapa haka i ia rā wiki. Kei te mōhio au ki ō whakaaro, āe! E 50! Kua wawe te taenga mai o te Kirihimete!.

Ko ngā manu tīoriori pēnei i a Rob Ruha mā, Pere Wihongi mā, ētahi ka rangona. Mai i te whakaputanga tuatahitanga, ko ētahi kua noho tonu ki ngā ārero ētahi waiata. Nā te mea, i rikoatahia i te taiwhanga waiata, ka taea te whakanikoniko o te oro me ngā rangi. (kāore au i te kī he koretake te kawe o ngā waiata i runga atamira) engari ka pai ake. Nā wai i kōunga, ka kōunga kē atu! 

Kotahi tau pea ka pahure i tētahi whakataetae pēnei me Te Matatini, kua whakakorehia ngā kiriata i te ipurangi. Nā reira, mēnā kāre i tikiake, ka aroha hoki. Mua kai kiriata, muri kai maumahara! Kua waimaria ngā tauira i a ETV, engari ko ngā mea i Matatini 2013, kāre i reira. Nā runga i tērā, kua kōpakitia ētahi nō ngā tau e 50 ki muri.

Kua 13 ngā waiata kua puta, ā, ko ‘Hunara’ pea tētahi kua kaha te pērāhia ōna, nā Te Tū Mataora. Te ātaahua o te rangi, te rangatira o ngā whakaaro, koia kei a Hunara. Katoa ēnei āhua e kōrero nei au ētahi o ngā āhuatanga i pupū ake ai te rongonui, me te kaingākau ki ēnei waiata rongonui. I te wā e tuhi ana ahau i tēnei e 12 noa iho ngā waiata kua whakairihia, nau mai rā te toenga!

Koutou o Te Matatini, me kore ake koutou!