New waiata honours Sir Bom Gillies and reflects on sorrows of war
Nikau Grace, 17, says she felt a personal connection to the anthem because her koro was in the same battalion as Sir Bom.
A new bilingual waiata has been released to mark the first Anzac Day without any living members of the 28th Māori Battalion, after Sir Robert 'Bom' Gillies died last year.
The waiata, titled He Aha Te Aha, is a collaboration between singer Nikau Grace, producer Kings, mātanga reo Dr Jeremy MacLeod and Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue.
Grace, 17, says she spent two days with MacLeod and Kings working on the song a couple of months ago, but they still felt that something was missing.
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It wasn't until the champions of Te Matatini, the kapa haka festival, were crowned that they found the magic touch.
"The kaupapa started with waiata anthems so myself, Kings and Jeremy were approached by The Dame [Hinewehi Mohi] and if you know The Dame you know you don't say no to her, but also she has the most amazing ideas.
"So actually when she heard them, it was her who originally came up with the idea and then when she shared it with us, we were like 'oh my gosh, yes'."
Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue at Te Matatini earlier this year.
Supplied / Te Matatini Enterprises
It was a perfect match, she says, with Sir Bom Gillies having whakapapa to Ngāti Whakaue. Her own grandfather was also in the same battalion too.
"The whole waiata and whole kaupapa was very personal to everyone involved because we all had our own connections but … it was so perfect that it was Ngāti Whakaue because that is his kapa … especially some of our waiata, the fact they were actually honouring him. It just really felt like the right thing."
The anthem begins with Sir Bom's reflection: "War is a waste of time. It solves nothing."
Nikau Grace on music in honor of 28th Maori Battalion
Tā (Sir) Robert “Bom” Gillies flanked by Major General John Boswell and Sergeant Major Wiremu Moffitt.
RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Grace says they were lucky to have MacLead onboard because he was a close family friend of Sir Bom's and heard a lot of his stories and thoughts.
"We spent half a day just listening to Jeremy telling us stories about koro Bom, about the war, about his own connections and then it kind of just became almost like story time and Kings was playing in the background and it was just so beautiful, it was really calm. So Kings started playing this amazing melody and it just really clicked."
Going into the project, they were all on the same page of wanting to find a way to continue the legacy of those who died, she says.
"I'm extremely lucky to have been given this opportunity because there's so many other people who would've been just as amazing and I'm just so honoured that I was chosen."
Grace performed He Aha Te Aha at the dawn service in Kawerau, and she will also perform at Sir Howard Morrison Centre in Rotorua for Matariki.
