As Kiwi school kids head out on their third climate protest this year, we count down seven of the best New Zealand protest songs.
Protest sign for today's school strike for climate change Photo: Yadana Saw
New Zealand has a long history of protest songs, from anti-nuclear anthems to Māori empowerment jams. Here's seven of the best, going out to all the young climate protesters out there!
1. 'Hope' - Fat Freddy's Drop
Dallas Tamaira's vocals glide over the signature horns and bass beats on this 2005 track from Fat Freddy's. 'Hope' was the first track by the live improv collective to gain international attention. They named their first international tour 'Hope for a Generation'.
"Hope for a generation
Just beyond my reach
Not beyond my sights"
2. 'Sensitive to a Smile' - Herbs
A song about family, coming together, and caring for the next generation, written by Dilworth Karaka, Charlie Tumahai, and American poet Todd Casella. The track came out in 1987 and made it to #9 on the NZ singles chart that same year. The accompanying video was co-directed by Lee Tamahori of Once Were Warriors fame and won Best Music Video at the 1987 New Zealand Music Awards.
"So make a stand and hold your ground
And maybe the world will turn around
Peace and love and harmony.
Beautiful children have come into my life."
3. 'Tangaroa Whakamautai' - Maisey Rika
Maisey Rika's beautiful 2012 waiata celebrates Tangaroa, the Māori god of the sea.
"Te tangi a te tohorā, He tohu nō aituā, Te mau a Tangaroa"
("The cry of the whale, Signals a warning, The power of Tangaroa")
4. 'Home, Land and Sea' - Trinity Roots
According to Trinity Roots frontman and principal songwriter Warren Maxwell, this 2004 track "is a song about our beautiful country".
"From the tail of the fish, to the top
Money all, around this world. Want a piece of this yeah
Seems like nothing, nothing no, no
Gonna stop, I know, you can feel it."
5. 'Damn The Dam' - John Hanlon
Released in 1973, this song went to #5 on the singles chart and won Single of the Year for its creator, "accidental" pop star John Hanlon. The track was inspired by the damming of Lake Manapouri for a hydro power station, and the resulting inundation of surrounding native bush and wildlife.
A self-identified "idealist" John Hanlon continues to speak up about social issues.
'There is No Depression in New Zealand' - Blam Blam Blam
This commentary on the Kiwi "she'll be right" attitude remains as relevant today as it was on release in 1981, embodying the perennial ironic teenager in just 3'11 seconds.
6. 'E Tu' - Upper Hutt Posse
New Zealand's first hip hop song was a call to arms for Māori to stand up for their rights. Released in 1988, at a time when American hip hop groups such as Public Enemy were drawing on the influence of African-American leaders including Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Upper Hutt Posse delivered a Māoritanga take on rebel music, paying homage to Te Rauparaha, Hōne Heke and Te Kooti.
7. 'Listen To Us' - Home Brew
This 2011 media mash-up cum rap song from the Tom Scott-led Home Brew pulls no punches. It lays bare the impact poverty and disenfranchisement has on young people in New Zealand, and is perhaps even more relevant today than when it first came out.
