The director of Māori music at SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music says a new series premiering tonight is a great way for tamariki mokopuna and others to understand the evolution of contemporary waiata Māori.
The first episode of Hōtaka Māori showcases taonga pūoro artists Komako Silver, Horomona Horo and Reti Hedley, with future episodes featuring artists like Ria Hall, Pere Wihongi, Mere Boynton and Rei, as well as discussions on how the ancient art of mōteatea is being rediscovered.
Toni Huata says getting the performers to share their stories was uplifting.
“I loved sitting there, watching them when they were being filmed and I was just like beaming from ear to ear. There was no cuts, there was no ‘hang on a minute we didn’t have sound’ or anything like that. It was like literally what you see as the interview. And they were just amazing,” Huata says.
Hōtaka Māori will be streamed through the Sounz website https://sounz.org.nz/hotaka-maori
