To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Tony is joined by pop musician Theia, and the editor of the Spinoff's Ātea channel Leonie Hayden, to play some of their favourite te reo songs including Ria Hall, Prince Tui Teka, SoccerPractise and more.
St Joseph's Maori Girls' College - Hine (feat. Maisey Rika)
Theia: "I have really fond memories of being a little baby in kapa haka and singing this one. It's the most beautiful, romantic, soft song ever. St Joseph's is renowned for the perfection of their harmonies, and their blending. I've never heard anything like them."
Soccerpractise - Kaua E Mate Wheke
Leonie: "The full saying is 'kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa', which broadly means 'better to die like a shark than an octopus'. So like, go down fighting. I love the intention of that whakatauki."
Dudley Benson - Pungawerewere
Tony: "Dudley's album Forest is all original waiata by Dr Hirini Melbourne. I didn't realise that 'pungawerewere' meant 'spider', but now that I know it's about a spider spinning a web I love it even more."
Deluxe Project - Rona
Leonie: "Rona is a traditional waiata-ā-ringa about the legend of Rona and the moon. She was out collecting water at night and the moon disappeared and she tripped and fell, and cursed the moon. The moon took her up and they ended up falling in love. In this version he's put himself in the position of the husband of the wife that's been taken away."
Ria Hall - Te Kawa O Te Riri
Tony: "'Te Kawa O Te Riri' could mean one of two things, it could mean 'the ceremony of anger', or..."
Theia: "Kawa is also another word for 'bitterness.'"
Tony: "So it could be a clever bit of wordplay."
Theia: "Ria girl you are smart!"
Prince Tui Teka - E Ipo
Theia: "This waiata was one that my nanny absolutely adored. We'd play it in the car, it was always playing at the pub, we'd request it at karaoke... it makes me very emotional and makes me feel very warm. It has such a legacy of storytelling, it's a love song, it smashed the charts... it holds a special place in every Māori heart."
