2022 NZ Music Hall Of Fame

Thursday 15 September 2022

APRA AMCOS will honour and celebrate the late Te Kumeroa “Ngoingoi” Pēwhairangi QSM and her beloved Aunty Tuini Moetū Haangū Ngāwai when they are inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa at the 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka.

Tuini Ngāwai (Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare) born 1910 in Tokomaru Bay, not only composed over 200 waiata and action songs but was also a leader in revitalising Māori culture and identity. Her songwriting involved everything from love, death, war, to informal sing-a-longs. Tuini's waiata are still performed today including popular ditties like ‘Kei Tangi a Big Ben’.

Tuini formed Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū a performing group whose work assisted Sir Apirana Ngata and his recruiting efforts for the 28th New Zealand (Māori) Battalion. Many of her finest songs were written during the war including ‘Arohaina mai e te Kingi Nui’ which became the unofficial hymn for the Ngāti Porou C Company soldiers.

Tuini had a strong determination to restore Māori pride, involving herself in the Kotahitanga Movement alongside efforts to achieve greater recognition for the Treaty of Waitangi. As always, she had meaningful messages to convey about these kaupapa through songs such as ‘Te Kotahitanga rā e.’

Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi (Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, Ngāti Porou), known affectionately as Ngoi, would carry on her aunt’s legacy as a leader, educator, and lauded songwriter. While she is best known for co-writing hits with high-profile Māori artists Prince Tui Teka and Dalvanius Prime, Ngoi composed many widely beloved waiata including ‘Kia Kaha Ngā Iwi’, ‘Ka Noho Au,’ and ‘Whakarongo.’ She is also deeply respected as a leader, spiritual bastion, and youth advocate, and is a profound influence on many current Māori songwriters.

This year marks 40 years since the conception of ‘Poi E’, New Zealand’s unofficial anthem written by Ngoi and produced by Dalvanius Prime for Pātea Māori Club. Upon release, ‘Poi E’ topped the charts for a month outselling international acts and has since revisited the Top 10 multiple times.

Ngoi’s influence as a songwriter is far-reaching not only in writing popular waiata, but in the way she collaborated and motivated others to write in te reo Māori - from kapa haka works, to chart topping hits, to compositions for royal visits.

With great respects to their whanau, we feel deeply honoured to induct both Ngoi and Tuini into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa.

Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame was created in 2007 by APRA AMCOS NZ | Te Tautāwhinga & Recorded Music NZ | Puoro Rekoata ki Aotearoa, to celebrate the many writers, artists and musicians who have made a significant contribution, through music, to life and culture in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Ka whakarangatira a APRA AMCOS ia Te Kumeroa ‘Ngoingoi’ Pēwhairangi QSM rāua tahi ko tōna koka a Tuini Moetū Haangū Ngāwai ki te pō tuku taonga Silver Scrolls/Kaitito Kaiaka i tēnei tau 2022. Ka whakamana a APRA i tō rāua kuhutanga atu ki Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa.

I whānau mai a Tuini Ngāwai (he uri nō Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare) i te tau 1910 ki Te Akau o Tokomaru. Ehara i te mea i tito noa ia Tuini i te rua rau neke atu rānei o ngā waiata me ngā waiata ā-ringa, engari, ko Tuini tētahi o ngā māreikura i whakarauora i Te Reo Māori, tuakiri Māori me te ahurea Māori. Inā hoki te huhua o ngā kaupapa ukauka ki ōna titonga waiata pēnei i te aroha, te mate, te pakanga me ētahi waiata ngahau ō-paki nei. Kei te waiata tonu ngā waiata a Tuini i ēnei rā. Ko tētahi o āna waiata ōrongonui e kaha pāorooro tonu nei ko ‘Kei Tangi a Big Ben.’

Nā Tuini te kapa o Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū i whakaora. He mea mahitahi ki a Tā Apirana Ngata ki te whakakipakipa i ngā hōia kia piri ki te ope taua o te rua tekau mā waru. Ahakoa te nui o ōna titonga, ko te huhua o ngā titonga rongonui i tito i te wā o te pakanga. Ko tētahi waiata pēnei ia ‘Arohaina mai e te Kingi Nui’ tētahi o aua waiata. He mea waiata nā ngā hoia o Ngāti Porou, o te Kamupene C hei waiata hīmene.

He ūpoko maaro a Tuini ki te hāpai ake i te mana o te iwi Māori. I kuhu atu a Tuini ki te roopu e kiia nei ko Te Kotahitanga kia whai mana te iwi Māori ki raro i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. He maha rawa ngā kura huna kei ōna waiata, me ngā karere hei kawe i ngā kaupapa ki ana waiata pērā i te waiata ‘Te Kotahitanga rā e.’

I whaiwhai atu a Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi (he uri nō Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, Ngāti Porou) i ngā tapuwae o tōna koka. Ko te ingoa kārangaranga i mōhiotia whānuitia e te ao ko Ngoi. He wahine whai i ngā mahi i takahia e Tuini, pērā i te tito waiata, ngā mahi ki te ao mātauranga me te ārahi i tōna iwi anō hoki. He rongonui a Ngoi mō te mahi ngātahi ki ngā Kaiwaiata ōrongonui e kiia nei ko Prince Tui Teka rāua ko Dalvanius Prime. Inā hoki te huhua o ngā waiata kua titoa e Ngoi pēnei ia ‘Kia Kaha Ngā Iwi,’ ‘Ka Noho Au,’ me ‘Whakarongo.’ He wahine marae, he wahine whai mana a Ngoi. Inā hoki te nui o te whakaute mō tōna rangatiratanga, tōna wairuatanga me āna mahi ārahi i te hunga rangatahi. He nui rawa ōna awenga ki runga i ngā Kaitito Waiata Māori i tōna wā, ā, tae noa mai ki ēnei rā.

Ka whakanui tēnei tau i te whā tekau tau nō te whānautanga mai o te waiata ‘Poi E.’ Nā, ki te tirohanga o ētahi, koinei te waiata o te motu ki Aotearoa, ā, nā Ngoi te waiata nei i tito. Nā Dalvanius Prime o te Pātea Māori Club te waiata i whakaputa. Nō te pāohotanga tuatahi o te waiata ‘Poi E’ i noho te waiata nei ki te tūranga tuatahi ki ngā rarangi mātaamua, rarangi waiata mō te marama kotahi. He nui ake ngā nama o te waiata nei, tēnā i ngā waiata rongonui o te ao i taua wā. Inā hoki te nui o ngā wā kua noho te waiata nei ki te rarangi matua, rarangi tekau.

He rangiwhāwhā ngā awenga o Ngoi ki ngā Kaitito Waiata, kaua ki ngā waahi tito waiata rongonui anake, engari ko tōna tāera, he akiaki, he whakakipakipa i ngā Kaitito Waiata ki te tuhi ki Te Reo Māori. – Mai i āna mahi Kapa Haka, ki ngā waiata i whai waahi atu ki ngā rarangi mātaamua ki te ao puoro, tae noa ki ōna titonga mō te taenga mai a Te Kāhui Ariki. Hōrapa whānui āna mahi.

Nō mātou tonu te māngari, te honore ki te whakarangatira me te whakamana ia Ngoi rāua ko Tuini me tō rāua kuhutanga mai ki roto i Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa. 

He mea i waihangatia Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa e APRA AMCOS i te tau 2007, ki te whakanui i te huhua o ngā Kaitito Waiata, ngā Kaiwhakangahau, ngā Kaipuoro kua kaha whakatairanga i te ao puoro, e matomato ai te tōnuitanga o te ahurea puoro ki Aotearoa.