Pere Wihongi Photo: Supplied
Pere Wihongi is no stranger to being thrown in the deep end.
When her grandfather, a great orator, spoke on the marae, it was the job of Wihongi and her siblings to match the mana of her koroua's korero with waiata.
If you can do that, then plunging into the roll of music director of the Te Reo version of the Disney movie, Moana 2, doesn't seem so formidable.
Moana 2 is the first Hollywood movie to premier in English and Te Reo, a source of considerable pride for Māori, including Wihongi.
Wihongi, who also help set up the first set of songs for the online waiata website, the Aotearoa Songbook, spoke with RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump about the influence of Te Reo, kapa haka, working with a symphony orchestra and some of her own adventures in the world of the popular song.
