March 22, 2023
Cyclone fundraisers bring out stars old and new
Te Taura Whiri chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui says it was great to put on his music hat on Sunday to contribute to the cyclone relief concert in Wellington.
A lifetime before joining the Maori Language Commission Apanui was part of the groundbreaking reo Maori band Aotearoa.
At Pipitea Marae he got up to perform alongside with the likes of Aja (Aysha), Sianne (She-arn), Kirsten Te Rito and Troy Kingi.
“Wicked musicians, you know, Aja who won the Maioha Awards performing there as well. I don’t know how Sianne isn’t already a huge star all over the world. It was just a wonderful occasion, and to be able to perform with the likes of those people was just a real privilege,” Apanui says.
The Wellington concert raised at least $40,000 for cyclone relief, which is sure to be topped at this weekend’s marathon concert in Tamaki Makaurau organised by Whakaata Maori and the Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency.