Maisey Rika and Seth Haapu awarded the 2021 APRA Maioha Award for 'Waitī Waitā'

Ko Maisey Rika rāua ko Seth Haapu ngā toa whakaihu-waka mō te tohu Maioha nā APRA i tēnei tau 2021. He mea whakawhiwhia ki te tohu nei mō te waiata e kiia nei ko ‘Waitī Waitā.’

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

Ka whakanui te tohu Maioha nā APRA i ngā titonga hou, titonga Māori, ā, ka whakarangatira i ngā kaitito e whakakōrero ana i ngā pūrākau ki roto i Te Reo Māori.

Tonight, Maisey Rika and Seth Haapu were presented with the APRA Maioha Award for their incredible waiata ‘Waitī Waitā’ from Rika’s Matariki inspired album Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea.

Nō te pō tonu nei whakawhiwhia ai e Maisey Rika rāua ko Seth Haapu ki te tohu Maioha nā APRA mō te waiata rōreka e kiia nei ko ‘Waitī Waitā.’ Ko Matariki te whetū e whakahihiko ana i tēnei waiata. He waiata nō te kōpae a Maisey Rika e kiia nei ko ‘Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea.’

For the album, Maisey Rika (Te Whānau-a-Apanui) worked closely with Professor Rangi Matamua who specialises in indigenous studies and Māori astronomy. The result is a nine-track album exploring Te Ao Māori and the connection to astronomy through Matariki.

A kāti, mō te kōpae ake, i noho tahi a Maisey Rika (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) ki a Ahorangi Rangi Matamua. He mātanga a Ahorangi Rangi Matamua mō te hononga o te mātauranga Māori ki ngā kāhui whetū. Ko ngā hua o te noho tahi ko ngā waiata e iwa i puta ki tētahi kōpae waiata. Ka tūhura i te hononga o Te Ao Māori ki te kāhui whetū mā te whetū o Matariki.

‘Waitī Waitā’ was co-written and produced with multi-disciplinary creator Seth Haapu (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Atihaunui a Pāpārangi).

Ko Seth Haapu (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Atihaunui a Pāpārangi) tētahi o ngā kaitito, tētahi atu i whakaora i te waiata e kiia nei ko ‘Waitī Waitā.’

Waitī and Waitā are two stars which form part of the Matariki cluster, and each star is connected to Te Ao Māori in its own special way. Each star gets a moment in the spotlight on ‘Waitī Waitā’ with verse one occupied by Waitī, the star connected to fresh water, lakes and rivers, and verse two highlighting Waitā, the star connected to the ocean, or salt water. Rika then marries the two stars, displaying their synergy and significance to the earth and ending with the connection to tangata whenua and the kai we gather from fresh and salt water.

Ko Waitī rāua ko Waitā ētahi o ngā whetū nō te kāhui whetū o Matariki. Nā, kei a Waitī rāua ko Waitā ōna anō hononga, ōna anō mana motuhake ki roto i Te Ao Māori. Ka muramura, ka korakora mai ngā whetū e rua ki roto i te waiata e kiia nei ko ‘Waitī Waitā.’ Ka whakanui te whiti tuatahi i te whetū e kiia nei ko ‘Waitī,’ i tōna hononga ki te wai Māori, ki ngā roto ki ngā awa, ā, ka whakanui te whiti tuarua i te whetū e kiia nei ko ‘Waitā,’ i tōna hononga ki te moana, ki te wai tote. Kātahi ka whakakōtahi a Rika i ngā whetū e rua, kia putaina ngā āhuareka o tōna ihi, tōna wehi me te hononga ki te tangata whenua, ki te kai ka kohia ki te wai Māori, ki te wai tote.

The other finalists for the 2021 APRA Maioha Award were Tāmaki Makaurau based singer/songwriter Haami for ‘He Aio’ (written by Hamiora Tuari, Matt Sadgrove, Sam Eriwata, and Tei Nohotima) - a sun soaked RnB jam which captures the power of the natural world to lift us up; and Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s psychedelic jazz maestro Mara TK for his cinematic tribute to the albatross ‘Toroa’ (written by Mara TK and Cory Champion).

Ko ētahi atu o ngā kaitito waiata i whai waahi atu ki ngā whiringa toa i tēnei tau 2021 mō te tohu Maioha nā APRA ko Haami Tuari rāua ko Mara TK. Kei Tāmaki Makaurau a Haami e noho ana, ā, i whai waahi atu ia ki ngā whiringa toa mō tana waiata ‘He Aio’ (Nā Hamiora Tuari rātou ko Matt Sadgrove, ko Sam Eriwata, ko Tei Nohotima te waiata i tito) – he waiata whakangahau, he waiata whakakorikori i te hunga whakarongo, ā, ka hopukia tēnei waiata i te mana o te taiao kia hikina te mauri me te wairua o te tangata. Nā, ko Mara TK tēnā anō hoki. He mātanga puoro nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara me tana waiata e hāngai ana ki tētahi manu rangatira e kiia nei ko te ‘Toroa’ (Nā Mara TK rāua ko Cory Champion te waiata i tito).

This is the 19^th year the APRA Maioha Award has been presented, with an incredible roster of past winners representing waiata reo Māori, including Rob Ruha; Angelique Te Rauna, Matauranga Te Rauna, and Tyna Keelan; Ria Hall, Tiki Taane, and Te Ori Paki; and Alien Weaponry. See all past winners here.

Koinei te tau tuangahuru mā iwa mō te tohu Maioha nā APRA. Inā hoki te nui o ngā kaitito waiata Māori kua whakawhiwhia ki tēnei tohu pēnei i a Rob Ruha rātou ko Angelique Te Rauna, ko Matauranga Te Rauna, ko Tyna Keelan, ko Ria Hall, ko Tiki Taane, ko Te Ori Paki ko te roopu e kiia nei ko Alien Weaponry. Tirohia ki konei mō ngā toa whakaihu-waka nō ngā tau ki muri ā tae noa mai ki te mohoa nei.

With thanks to Te Māngai Pāho for supporting the APRA Maioha Award.

Me mihi ka tika ki Te Māngai Pāho mō tā rātou kaha ki te tautoko mai i te tohu Maioha nā APRA.