Finalists announced for new award Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito
APRA AMCOS Aotearoa are excited to announce the finalists for Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito - a new award introduced to celebrate kapa haka songwriters in our centenary year.
This brand-new award introduced for 2026 celebrates kapa haka songwriters whose original compositions in te reo Māori carry language, culture, and identity across generations. Songwriting for kapa haka is one of the most powerful and enduring expressions of te reo Māori, yet the composers behind these waiata have historically had limited recognition beyond performing at competitions. These finalists were judged purely on the songwriting, rather than the performance.
Top three finalists:
- Ka Mutu Te Aroha written by Dr Hinurewa Poutū and Tawaroa Kawana, performed by Te Whare Haka o Te Puku
- Te Tapuni written by Rob Ruha, performed by Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA)
- Wai Ka Tuku Wai Ka Hono written by Tā Derek Lardelli, Te Rauhuia Ngata, Ani Piki Tuari, and Hamiora Tuari, performed by Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti
More about each finalist below.
Ka Mutu Te Aroha
About the songwriters: Dr Hinurewa Poutu and Tawaroa Kawana
Known for her commitment to te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, Dr Hinurewa Poutu (Ngāti Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Maniapoto,) has contributed to the education and media sectors as a teacher, translator, language and cultural advisor. Having grown up within kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, and wharekura, she developed a deep appreciation for waiata and haka from an early age. For her, waiata is a powerful expression of emotion that carries the stories and sentiments that connect us to one another and to those who have come before us.
Tawaroa Kawana, known as TAWAZ, is a leading force in Māori music, a singer-songwriter, a master of harmonies, and a mātanga reo who is reshaping the sound of Aotearoa. A proud graduate of Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, and Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (The Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language), TAWAZ carries the weight of deep cultural knowledge and linguistic mastery into every lyric and performance.
About the kapa haka: Te Whare Haka o Te Puku
Established in 2025 under the umbrella of Te Aho Matua, Te Whare Haka o Te Puku was born from a desire to honour the pioneers and celebrate the rich legacy of the Kura Kaupapa Māori movement. Through te ao haka, the group provides another powerful vehicle for the revitalisation of te reo Māori, the strengthening of cultural identity of Aotearoa and its people.
Based in the Bay of Plenty, Te Whare Haka o Te Puku recently took the stage at the Te Arawa Regional Kapa Haka Competition for the very first time. In a remarkable debut, the rōpū earned a coveted place to perform at Te Matatini being hosted by Te Arikinui Ngawai hono i te po at Hopuhopu in Waikato next February
Te Tapuni
About the songwriter: Rob Ruha
Rob Ruha is a boundary-breaking Māori artist, composer, music director and cultural force, recognised as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Māori music.
Of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, Rob brings the power, precision and collective energy of kapa haka into a bold contemporary sound that he calls Haka Soul.
Rob has created a musical language that is unmistakably his own, deeply rooted in mātauranga Māori while constantly pushing into new territory.
Described as “the foremost Māori Music ambassador from Aotearoa-New Zealand”, Rob has taken Indigenous music into mainstream and international spaces through chart-topping releases and multi-award-winning work. His music has reached millions through songs including 35 and Taera, while his creative leadership extends to major projects including Disney’s reo Māori adaptations of Moana, The Lion King, Frozen, Coco and his new kapa haka, Te Taumata o Apanui.
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui iwi helmsman Rikirangi Gage described Rob’s gift to connect generations though his music as “a genius”, the rare ability to weave sound and rhythm together to bring lyrics to life.
About the Kapa Haka: Te Taumata o Apanui (TOA)
Te Taumata o Apanui (affectionately known as TOA) is one of the most exciting new groups in the kapa haka landscape. Known for pushing creative boundaries while maintaining deep ancestral roots, they have quickly become a favourite on the competitive stage.
As a new group, TOA has moved with remarkable momentum. Their highly anticipated Te Matatini debut in 2025 was marked by an exciting presentation, including He Karere, a work that generated significant online attention and showcased the groups appetite for innovation.
TOA won first place at the Mātaatua regional competitions earlier this year. Their epic performance of Te Tapuni, dedicated to the late Ricky Lee Tapuni Mitai of Te Whakatōhea, secured their spot at Te Matatini 2027.
Following international festival appearances in China and fresh from being crowned regional champions, TOA delivered an electrifying rendition of Te Tapuni in a powerhouse collaboration with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre, bringing the audience to their feet during the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.
Wai Ka Tuku Wai Ka Hono
About the songwriters: Tā Derek Lardelli, Te Rauhuia Ngata, Ani Piki Tuari, and Hamiora Tuari.
Professor Ahorangi Tā Derek Lardelli, KNZM, ONZM (Ngāti Porou – Ngāti Konohi, Rongowhakaata – Ngāi Te Aweawe) is one of Aotearoa’s foremost exponents of Māori arts, working across composition, kapa haka, tā moko, visual arts, oratory, whakapapa and education. A Professor Ahorangi and mentor at Toihoukura, he was knighted in 2020 for services to Māori arts.
Since 1995, Tā Derek has been a composer, performer and leader of Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti, winners of Te Matatini in 2007 and 2017. His compositions draw extensively from the whakapapa and oral histories of Te Tairāwhiti and are performed by kapa haka across generations and regions.
His nationally recognised compositions include Kapa o Pango for the All Blacks, Wānanga Toa for New Zealand Universities and Poutangata for the New Zealand Olympic Committee, extending his contribution to Māori language, composition and cultural expression throughout Aotearoa and internationally.
Te Rauhuia Ngata-Kutia (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Ira) is a respected kaitito, Māori educator and knowledge holder from Uawa, Te Tairāwhiti. A longstanding composer of kapa haka, he has written award-winning waiata across primary, secondary and senior levels. Grounded in the whakapapa and traditions of his iwi, his compositions draw upon kōrero tuku iho, contributing to the transmission of language, history and knowledge across generations. His wider practice encompasses Māori education and further expansion and understanding of celestial and terrestrial knowledge, with a longstanding commitment to the retention and continuation of mātauranga Māori.
Ani-Piki Tuari (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Tūhoe) is a nationally acclaimed kaitito, award-winning director, music manager, writer, performer and producer working across music, kapa haka, theatre, film and television. A long-standing member of Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti, she has contributed as a kaitito, vocal coach, leader and performer, representing Aotearoa internationally. Ani-Piki is also the creator, writer and producer of Whakapaupakihi, alongside her brother and co-writer Hamiora Tuari — the first large-scale reo Māori musical.
Hamiora Tuari (HAAMI) (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Tūhoe) is an award-winning contemporary Māori singer, songwriter, composer and performer. As both solo artist HAAMI and a member of the Tuari Brothers, he has received multiple Waiata Māori Music Awards, is a three-time APRA Silver Scroll Award finalist and a two-time Aotearoa Music Awards finalist across three categories. Haami is the creator, composer and writer of Whakapaupakihi, alongside his sister and co-writer Ani-Piki Tuari.
About Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti
Te Kapa Haka o Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti is a celebrated East Coast group from Whāngārā, near Gisborne, led by Tā Derek Lardelli. The multi-time champions won the overall national title at Te Matatini in 2007 and 2017, and gained international fame after their appearance at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, at the base of the Eiffel Tower.
The winner of Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito will be announced at the 61st APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka, which are part of APRA's 100 year anniversary celebrations.
The other awards presented on the night are:
- APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka
- APRA Maioha Award | Tohu Maioha
- SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha
- APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa
- APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi
More information
- About the APRA Silver Scroll Awards
- Playlist celebrating the Scroll Top 20 & Maioha Top 11
- Past presentations and performances
With thanks to NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, OneMusic NZ, TAG, Radisson RED Auckland, Framingham Wines, Hallertau, and Scapegrace.
