Te whakatairanga a APRA i ngā whiringa toa 2021 mō Te Tohu Maioha.

A kāti, kei te kite atu a APRA i te mana nui kei roto i ngā mahi tito waiata Māori. Nā, ka whakarangatira te tohu Maioha i ngā Kaitito e whakakōrero ana i ngā pakiwaitara o Te Ao Māori.

• He Aio, Nā Hamiora Tuari rātou ko Matthew Sadgrove, ko Sam Eriwata, ko Tei Nohotima ngā kupu, ā, nā Haami te waiata nei i waiata
• Toroa, Nā Mara Te Kahika rāua ko Cory Champion ngā kupu, ā, nā Mara TK te waiata nei i waiata
• Waitī Waitā, Nā Maisey Rika rāua ko Seth Haapu ngā kupu, ā, nā Maisey Rika te waiata nei i waiata

Kua whai waahi atu a Haami ki ngā Whiringa Toa mō tōna waiata ‘He Aio.’ He waiata takitaki haere i ngā here whakapapa me tōna tuakiritanga. Ka whakaatu a Haami i tōna aroha nui ki te whenua me te waka o Horouta. Koia nei te waka i whakatere i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa i Hawaiki ki Aotearoa i te takiwa o te 1000AD. He waiata a ‘He Aio,’ e whakahihiko ana i te tangata, ā, ka whakatairanga i te ataahua o te whenua, te ahurea (Māori) me tōna tuakiritanga.

He mea puta te waiata nei a ‘Toroa’ i te kōpae waiata nā Mara TK e kiia nei ko ‘Bad Meditations.’ Ka whakarangatira tēnei waiata a ‘Toroa’ i te heipūtanga ki Parihaka me te āhua o te rangimārie i te wā i murua te whenua. Nō muri ka tahuri atu te iwi ki ngā raukura o te Toroa hei rau maharatanga, ā, koirā te hāngaitanga o tēnei waiata nā Mara TK. Ko te karanga atu ki te manu ‘Toroa’ kia tau anō te rangimārie ki runga ki te whenua.

Kua whai waahi atu te māreikura o ngā waiata Māori a Maisey Rika ki ngā Whiringa Toa i tēnei tau mō tana waiata ‘Waitī Waitā.’ He reo waitī, he reo waitā, he reo tōiri hei oriori i te pō. Nā, ka whakanui tēnei waiata i ētahi o ngā whetū o te kāhui o Matariki, arā, a Waitī rāua ko Waitā. Ko Matariki te whetū i whakaoreora i ngā whakaaro kia ora ai tēnei kōpae waiata, ka tapaina ko Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea. He mea noho tēnei waiata hei hoa haere mō ‘Hiwa-i-te-rangi,’ arā, te waiata i whai waahi atu ki ngā Whiringa Toa mō te tohu Silver Scroll | Kaitito Kaiaka.

E rima ngā Kaiwhakawā i noho ki te whiriwhiri i ngā Whiringa Toa mō te tohu Maioha i tēnei tau. Ko Matai Rangi Smith rātou ko Ngatapa Black, ko Pere Wihongi, ko Nadia Marsh. I whiriwhiri tēnei kāhui Kaiwhakawā i ngā waiata e rima, kātahi ka tukua ki ngā mema katoa o APRA ki te pōti mō ngā Whiringa Toa. E toru noa iho ngā Kaiwaiata i waimarie, i whai waahi atu ki ngā Whiringa Toa. Ka whakahuatia te Toa Whakaihu Waka ki Spark Arena a te Taite 14 o Whiringa-a-Nuku.

The APRA Maioha Award recognises the art of contemporary Māori songwriting and honours composers who are telling their stories in the language of Te Ao Māori.

• He Aio, written by Hamiora Tuari, Matthew Sadgrove, Sam Eriwata, and Tei Nohotima, performed by Haami
• Toroa, written by Mara Te Kahika and Cory Champion, performed by Mara TK
• Waitī Waitā, written by Maisey Rika and Seth Haapu, performed by Maisey Rika

Haami has made the Top 3 for his uplifting waiata 'He Aio' which explores whakapapa and identity. Haami expresses passion and wonderment for the whenua and Horouta, the ancestral waka that sailed the Pacific from Hawaiki to Aotearoa around 1000AD. 'He Aio' is a spirited anthem celebrating cultural identity and the beauty of this land.

'Toroa' is a standout from Mara TK’s recent album Bad Meditations. 'Toroa/The Albatross' is a poetic commemoration of Parihaka and the peaceful resistance to the confiscation of land. Albatross feathers became an emblem of the people and Mara TK magically delivers this symbolism with an enchanting call to the great bird to return and bring peace to the land.

Waiata reo Māori champion Maisey Rika is nominated this year for 'Waitī Waitā'. With Maisey's delicate vocal runs and rich sonic soundscape, this waiata praises the two stars part of the Matariki cluster, Waitī and Waitā. 'Waitī Waitā' comes from Maisey Rika's Matariki inspired album Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea and sits alongside a Silver Scroll Award nomination for 'Hiwa-i-te-rangi'.

The judges for this year’s Maioha Award top five were Matai Rangi Smith, Ngatapa Black, Pere Wihongi, and Nadia Marsh. These top five waiata were then presented to the wider APRA membership to vote for their top three, and these votes decided the finalists above, and the winner who will be announced at the ceremony at Spark Arena on Thursday 14 October.

You can watch past Maioha Award performances and presentations HERE.

All awards will be presented at Spark Arena, Auckland on Thursday October 14th

The awards are proudly supported by NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho with thanks to Hallertau

#silverscrolls21
@apraamcosnz
www.apraamcos.co.nz

For any media enquiries including interview and image requests, please contact:

Lauren Clough | MaidenNZ | [email protected] | + 64 21 223 6788