February 12, 2015
Huata single minded in pursuit of vision
Maori music pioneer Tama Huata is being remembered as a man who had the drive to make things happen.
Mr Huata from Ngati Kahungunu died in Hastings yesterday at the age of 64.
Fellow musician Ngahiwi Apanui says he was able to combine his background as a self-trained musician with his love for kapa haka, creating long-lasting institutions like the Kahurangi Dance Theatre and the Takitimu Performing Arts School.
He made links with first nations groups in Canada and America that created opportunities for Maori performers, and he drove the creation of kaumatua kapa haka and the annual Waiata Maori Music Awards.
Mr Apanui says he had the single mindedness of great leaders.
"He was one guy who was never distracted by the noise and often the noise emanates from people who are frustrated by their own inability to make things happen. We could talk about his OBE, we could talk about a whole bunch of other things but for me that’s what made Tama tick, he was a guy who was absolutely single minded about what he wanted to do and he went out and did it," he says.
Mr Apanui says he hopes Kahurangi and the Waiata Maori Music Awards will continue.
Tama Huata’s tangi will be at Waipatu Marae in Hastings.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH NGAHIWI APANUI CLICK ON THE LINK
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