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Presented by Hēnare te Ua and Libby Hakaraia from the Radio New Zealand Studios, Auckland, on National Radio.
Music: Sir Howard Morrison - 'Granada'
Kupu korikori: The Right Reverend Bishop Muru Walters.
Rugby - all different types of people joined together for one reason, the subject matter for this week.
Kokako: I was browsing through our Māori audio-tapes archives, Ngā Taonga Kōrero recently when I fell into the trap of becoming side-tracked. Quite easy to do, I'll add and quite pleasant. I was looking for a recording made in the north during the 1960s when quite by accident, I found myself listening to a tape from about the same period but recorded in the Hawkes Bay region. The late Taanga Tomoana of the illustrious Ngāti Kahungungu family of the same name was speaking about his father, Paraire Hēnare Tomoana, one of this country's renowned musicians and songwriters.
Composing during the period before and after the First World War, Paraire Tomoana was also an accomplished musician playing many instruments ranging from the euphonium to the piano.
You're probably familiar with many of his songs - the lament, 'E pari ra' - he wrote the words but not the music. 'Tahi nei taru kino' is attributed to him and so is 'Po kare kare ana', but I personally dispute that. And there was 'I runga o ngā puke', 'On top of the hills'. And this is the story of that song. Ngahiwi Petiha was a brother of Paraire Tomoana's wife, Queenie. Ngahiwi was wounded during the First World War and was sent to a soldiers' hospital in England. He wrote to Paraire: "E Para, write me a song. I'm in a soldiers' hospital. Behind it is a hill - quite a big one. Sometimes, I can hear the wind coming over the hill and with it, I hear the voices of my ancestors, of my family, my friends and children. They're talking to me, calling me, reminding me of home so, write me a song."
Which Paraire did.
I RUNGA O NGĀ PUKE - from the top of the hills.
PĀ MAI TO REO - send out your voice to me.
KAUA E TANGI - do not weep and despair.
I TE WEHENGA - because you're far from us.
PĪRANGI NEI AU - I would very much like to.
KI AWHI TAU ATU TŌ TINANA I NGARO - embrace and enfold you.
KO TŌ AROHA, ME TŌKU AROHA - but your love and our love.
KA MUTU TE RĀ - will last to the end of all days.
AUE, TE PAI ! - and that, that is good.
There's a twist to the story.
I'm fortunate in that among my colleagues are ones who may suggest a lead to follow up in Whenua or they may come across music which could be of interest.
It was no more than a couple of days after I'd listened to TAANGA TOMOANA and that old chorale piece, I RUNGA O NGĀ PUKE when Barry Hartley gave me a disc to listen to. It was a recording made in the Wellington Town Hall on the occasion of the Royal Concert given in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Specially commissioned for the concert was a Māori suite of five Māori songs of European style but with the special character of being Māori in spirit.
I was partly stunned when I read the notes about the first song in the suite written for a young Māori soldier in an English hospital "you call to me across the oceans and I know our hearts will be forever united".
ASHLEY HEENAN arranged the suite, the Girls' Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra is conducted by JUAN MATTEUCI, the soloists are DONNA AWATERE and LAURETTE GIBBS and the song was composed by PARAIRE TOMOANA.
Kokako: HUIA KOOPUA; NZ Film Archive - did you know the first film shot in Aotearoa was in 1896?
A few years later - in 1901 Māori featured in another silent film - the 1901 Royal tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York - the Te Arawa pōwhiri to the royal couple and a visit to the Whakarewarewa thermal areas. This is New Zealand's oldest surviving film. Many more films depicting Māori as the noble savage were to follow - and with the advent of the talkies Māori also became the subject matter of documentary type films. These taonga are available for viewing at Ngā Kaitiaki o Ngā Taonga Whitiahua, the New Zealand Film Archive in Wellington. Libby was in Wellington last week and visited Huia Koopua at the New Zealand Film Archive. Huia talks about the holdings in the vaults at the Archive.
Promo next-weeks Whenua ! programme.
Music: Auckland Anglican Māori Club - 'E hara taku toa'
For Trinity Sunday - Today
Music: Tere Moana Rapley - 'For women'
Wrap / Close Notes written up by Hēnare te Ua.