NZ FOLKSONG * Maori Songs

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Waiata
Maori Song

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8 June 2009 - I added a reggae song about Rua Kanana the Tuhoe prophet of the Ureweras
Not many more new songs have been added recently. I'm doing research on the pre-Te Raparaha versions of Ka Mate

Top Maori songs last month
. . . . . .

Ka Mate - All Black haka - 2300 visitors

Pokarekare Ana - love song - 2000

E Papa Waiari - stick game - 1400

Haere Mai - powhiri, greetings - 1150

Hine E Hine - lullaby - 900

Poi E - inspirational - 840

Po Atarau - Now is the Hour - 820

E Ipo - love song - 800

Paikea - whale rider -790

E Ihowa Atua - National Anthem - 780

Ten Guitars - urban anthem - 770

Whakaaria Mai - hymn - 760

Hoki Mai - party song from WW2 - 750

Maori Battalion - WW2 march - 630

Kapa o Pango - new rugby haka - 560

Tika Tonu - Show integrity- 430

E Te Hokowhitu A Tū - for soldiers - 410

E Karanga E Te Iwi E - welcome - 400

He Kā kano ā hau - from Rangiatea - 370

Terina - Te Rina Pomare - 370

Rua, Rua Kenana...
Song writers

Singers

Ana Hato
Princess Iwa
Eddie Low
Princess Te Rangi Pai
Hinewehi Mohi
Howard Morrison
Prince Tui Teka
Deane Waretini Jr

You can help NZ Folksong

Help improve this website's content - check these lyrics and translations for accuracy - send me the lyrics and background details of other well-known songs. E-mail me.

Help with my running costs. I have been paying all the costs of operating this website from my own pocket. It is a gift to New Zealand children. All I ask is that they learn to sing some of these songs. However some older visitors to this website may wish to contribute by credit card or Paypal.

Maori Dictionaries On-line

You can refer to four online Maori dictionaries, plus four Maori wordlists, all from one page here. Papakupu

Songbooks

Maori songbook contents
This is an almost full list I have made of all the song titles in these Maori songbooks and other older, out-of-print ones.

Waiata Maori (1992)
T. H. Rikihana.
300+ Maori songs
with translations.
Two photocopied volumes
plus 6 cassettes.

A Century Of Maori Song (2002) compiled by Keith Southern. CDs also available.

The Maisy Rika Songbook is very similar.

He Koha, (2001)
Produced by Blossom Taewa. Twelve of our best-known songs, also in karaoke, CD and video formats.

Waiata Mai, 35 Maori Songs (1991, 2005) by Kare Rapata Leathem. Well-known songs, useful for leaning Maori, or for a first marae visit, with translations and a CD.

Maori song reference material: Traditional Songs of the Maori. McLean & Orbell. Academic study of old chants. Auckland University Press 2004 - currently out of print, ask at a public library.; Nga Moteatea, Sir Apirana Ngata
The source book of these old chants, recently reprinted, with CDs.; Ko Nga Moteatea, ed. Sir George Grey. Now readable on-line. It is the source of Ngata's book.

CD recording hints; Alan Armstrong has some good advice for those recording a Maori concert CD.

Other Maori Song sites: Te Ao Hou, the online re-issue of the 1950s-70s Maori magazine Waiata
St. Joseph's MGC: school songs; Ngati Ranginui: Waiata
Ministry of Education, Moteatea MP3s; Tarrangower School: Ruapehu
Wellington Kapahaka: Waiata

Editor's note

Kia ora koutou

Please forgive me for any errors here. If you can send me any corrections or additions to be added here, I would be most grateful.

My hobby has been learning about songs of the rural white New Zealand way of life. I started this NZ Folk Song website to make information about these Pakeha songs available to others.

But people kept e-mailing me to ask for information about Māori songs. So I started this page to help my visitors. And it has grown to become my most visited page by far, with 9000 visitors a month.

To find out about different versions of old Maori songs, I search the NZ National Library's online database.

And I'm finding a wealth of information about waiata in all twenty years of copies of Te Ao Hou that are online.

The most useful printed resource I have for words and translations is Waiata Maori by the late Toby Rikihana. This is a compilation of about 300 waiata for primary and secondary school teachers of te Reo Māori. If you are in NZ, you can hunt for it at your local library or Kohange Reo. Here is how you can buy it.

I also have these Maori songbooks too. If you would like me to hunt through them for you, e-mail me.

John Archer
Ngati Tumatauenga
Waiouru

Link to this Web Page

Please feel free to link to this page so that others can find it. It's easy to link to this page, just copy the text below onto your own web page:

<a href="http://folksong.org.nz/waiata.html">
Maori Song Lyrics</a>

Songs in Maori: Full details - songwriters - when written - statistics

Akoako o te Rangi - love song; Ara! Ka Titiro - courting song; Au, E Ihu - WW2 soldiers' hymn; Arohaina Mai - WW2 farewell song; Awhi Reinga - Air NZ TV advert - NEW; Ehara I Te Mea; E Ihowa Atua - National Anthem; E Ipo - love song; E Ko Te Tui - heralding a new dawn; E Minaka Ana - Maori language pride
E Pa To Hau - lament for stolen land; E Pari Ra - lament; E Papa Waiari - tītī tōrea; E Rere Taku Poi - poi; E Te Ariki; E Te Hokowhitu A Tū - 1940, for soldiers; E Te Iwi E - song of welcome; E Te Tamaiti - old hymn; E To Matou Matua - The Lord's Prayer; E Toru Nga Mea - communal hymn; E Tu, Stand Proud - rap protest; He Powhiri - chant of welcome; Haere Mai - Welcome, several versions; He Kā kano ā hau - a seed from Rangiatea; He Pūru Taitama - a young bull; He Putiputi Koe/Pai - you are my flower; He Wawata - lament for a lost daughter; Hei Konei Ra - Freezing workers farewell; Hine E Hine - lullaby; Hitara Waha Huka - mocking Hitler; Hoea Rā Te Waka Nei - 1917 supporting soldiers; Hoea Hoea Rā - 1940s canoe poi; Hoea Rā Ngā Waka - 1970s land march; Ho...ki Hoki - WW1 waiata a tāngi; Hoki Mai - waiata a ringa; Hurihuri - tītī tōrea; I Runga Nga Puke - WW1 waiata a ringa; Ka Mate - ancient haka; Ka Rū, Ka Rū - fishing song; Ka Waiata ki a Maria - himene; Kapa o Pango - new All Black haka; Kia Kaha Nga Iwi - strength for young Maori - NEW; Ko Niu Tireni - 1924 All Black haka; Karanga - women's welcome chant; Karangatia Rā - waiata a ringa; Kia ora ra koutou - by Apirana Ngata; Kotahitanga - disco beat; Kotiro Maori - Rongomaiwahine; Koutou Katoa Ra - funeral hymn; Ko Nga Waka - army haka; Kohu Auahi - Blue Smoke; Māku e Mihi - Volcanics good wishes; Mārie Te Pō - carol "Silent Night"; Matangi - steamship journeys; Ma Wai Ra - Who will be responsible?; Me He Manu Rere - waiata a ringa; Manini Waka - army haka; Mihi Mai Ra - lets live together in love; Moe Mai Ra - Brahms lullaby; Moe Moe Mai Ra - Suo Gan lullaby; Nau mai, Piki mai - call for unity; Nga Iwi E - hold on to your inheritance; Ngoi Ngoi - praise for Poi-E's composer; Nga Waka; Pa Mai Te Reo Aroha; Paikea - the whale rider; Pakete Whero - a racy love affair; Papaki Mai; Po Atarau - Now is the Hour; Po! Po! - kumara origins; Poi-E - 1984 hit song; Pokarekare Ana - love song; Poropeihana - protesting prohibition; Poroporoaki - farewell blessing chant; Purea Nei - reasuring a blind student; Pūrerehua - lullaby; Rimurimu - lament; Rona - the woman in the moon; Tahi Nei Taru Kino - love song; Tama Ngakau Marie funeral hymn; Tarakihi - on Kiri CD; Te Hokinga Mai - return of taonga; Te Kaianga Tupu - Home Sweet Home - NEW; Te Kiri Ngutu - Old Ngati Porou haka
Te Kirimi - the cream song; Te Marama i te Po - love song
Te Ngahuru's Lament - for his canoe; Te Ope Tuatahi - WWI anthem; Tenei Matou - concert party introduction; Te Piriti - bridge between cultures; Terina - Te Rina; Te Wai O Whanganui - river rights; Tihore mai - children's song; Tika Tonu - integrity; Timatanga - rugby haka; Tipirere - WW1 march; Tīrama Mai - Rongomaiwahine; Tō Aroha - Matariki; Toia Mai - haka pōwhiri; Toia Mai Te Waka Nei - Treaty of Waitangi; Tutira Mai Nga Iwi - Stand together!; Uhi Tai - army haka; Utaina Mai - concert entrance item; Waiata Poi - Mara Maori maiden proud
Whakaaria Mai - hymn
Whakataka te Hou - karakia for storms; Wharikihia - 2003 award winner; Whati Whati To Hope - waiata a ringa
Songs in English: Battle of the Waikato; Blue Smoke; Born of Greatness; E Tu, Stand Proud
French Letter Mururoa nuclear tests; Ha-ere Mai, Everything is Ka Pai; Maori Battalion; Matua Ned; My Old Man's an All Black; Now is the Hour; Oh Mum; Pania of the Reef; Pukeko in a Punga Tree; Rolling Wheels across the desert; Rua Kenana Tuhoe prophet - NEW; Songs of Home; Te Kooti; Ten Guitars; Totara Tree; Waiata Poi - Mara Maori maiden proud; We'll have a Maori Hangi Tonight
Te Pataka Waiata: This is where I've gathered lyrics etc. for making proper webpages as more information comes to hand.
Rummage around and take whatever is useful.
Songs for pre-schoolers: The words of these songs are all on one page:; Anei rā ngā mahi e; Haere mai te manuhiri
Haere rā e hine; He pipi māu e hine; He rā whānau koa ki a koe Happy Bir...; He tangata pai rawa ia For He's a Jolly...
Hei tira tira; I ngā wā o mua rā
Kapokapo whetū iti; Kei hea te tuna?; Korikori; Kua riro C. A. T.; Mā is white
Mahunga, pakihiwi... Heads, shoulders..; Me kā harikoa koe; Motokā iti rawa e; Ngā Rā o Te Wiki; Oma rāpeti,; One day a taniwha; Pāpā hipi mangu
Tohora Nui; Whakawhiti rori

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