NEW ZEALAND
FOLK * SONG

Whakaria Mai
How great thou Art / Abide with Me
English words Henry Lyte 1847,   Tune Trad / Carl Boberg 1886,


Maori songs
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Howard Morrison made this Swedish hymn very popular when he sung it at a Royal Command Performance for the Queen's visit to to New Zealand in 1981.
Whakaaria mai
Tou ripeka ki au
Tiaho mai
Ra roto i te po
Hei kona au
Titiro atu ai.

Ora, mate,
Hei au koe noho ai
      Show
your cross to me.
Let it shine
there in the darkness.
To there I
will be looking.

In life, in death,
let me rest in thee.

Sing these words twice; first to the tune of the verse of How Great Thou Art, then to the tune of its chorus. Or at a mixed Pakeha/Maori gathering, sing the verse in English, then the chorus in Maori.

C Oh Lord my God, when I in F awesome wonder
Consider C all the G7 worlds Thy hands have C made
I see the stars, I hear the F rolling thunder
Thy power through-C-out the G7 universe dis-C-played

Whakaaria mai     "fa-kar-r'ya my"
Tou F ripeka ki C au
Ti-aho G7 mai
Ka roto i te C po
Hei kona F au
Titiro atu C ai
Ora, ma-G7-te
Hei au kway noho C ai

Tune samples

Listen to Prince Tui Teka sing it, night-club style, similar to how Howard Morrison sangs it.
                             

Or listen to it being sung with traditional Maori harmonies.

                        

How Great Thou Art

The tune of Whakaaria mai is the one used for the hymn O Store Gut, which was written in 1886 by a Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg, after he was caught in a sudden thunderstorm while out in the countryside. He set it to the tune of an old Swedish folk song.

O store Gud,
När jag den värld beskådar
Som du har skapat
Med ditt allmaktsord
Hur där din visdom
Väver livets trådar
Och alla väsen
Mättad vid ditt bord

Då brister själen
Ut i lovsångs ljud
O store Gud, o store Gud!
O great God,
when I look at that world
that you have created
with your word of omnipotence
I see there how your wisdom
weaves the threads of life
and all creatures
are satisfied at your table

Then my soul bursts forth
in the sound of praise
O great God, O great God!

In time the hymn was translated into Russian and was learned by Stuart Hine, a British missionary working in the Ukraine. Hine later translated it into English. An American preacher, Billy Graham made it well-known in the USA, and when Elvis Presley recorded it there, it became well-known in New Zealand.
Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How gre----at Thou art.

Abide With Me

But the Maori words of Whakaaria mai are a loose translation of the 5th verse of "Abide with Me," composed by Scottish Anglican Minister Henry Francis Lyte. He wrote this hymn in 1847 as he lay dying of tuberculosis, and he survived only a further three weeks after its completion.
Hold Thou
Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine
through the gloom
and point me to the skies;
Heav'n's morning breaks,
and earth's vain shadows flee;

In life, in death,
O Lord, abide with me.
Whakaaria mai
Tou ripeka ki au
Tiaho mai
Ra roto i te po
Hei kona au
Titiro atu ai.

Ora, mate,
Hei au koe noho ai
Show
your cross to me.
Let it shine
there in the darkness.
To there I
will be looking.

In life, in death,

let me rest in thee.

Howard Morrison
Singer, Maori youth consultant, popularized Whakaaria Mai in New Zealand in 1982.

Renowned entertainer and Maori youth leader Howard Morrison was born in Rotorua in 1935 and educated at Te Aute College. In 1955, while working as a surveyor's chainman, he started putting together vocal groups to entertain at rugby club socials in Rotorua. In 1956 he toured Australia as a member of the Aotearoa Concert Party.

On his return, he heard guitarist Gerry Merito and put together a group with him and two others, named the Howard Morrison Quartet. In 1958 they became part of Benny Levin's touring 'Pop Jamboree.' A recording they made of "Hoki Mai/ Po Karekare Ana" sold well, and in 1959 their parody of "The Battle Of New Orleans," written by Gerry Merito and recorded as The Battle Of The Waikato, became one of their biggest hits.

In 1960 they were so popular their managers released 13 singles, 3 EP's and 2 LP's. Another parody of Lonnie Donegan, "My Old Man's A Dustman" became "My Old Man's An All Black." This was highly topical because of the huge controversy over Maoris not being allowed to tour South Africa with that year's All Blacks.

Moving into 1962, two more of their singles were parodies, with Ray Steven's "Ahab The Arab" becoming "Mori The Hori" and an Australian convict/bushranger song, "The Wild Colonial Boy," becoming "George The Wilder Colonial Boy," celebrating the exploits of escaped convict George Wilder. Half way through the Quartet's version, Howard himself did a gimmick intervention, singing a brief falsetto piece of "Come home Speedy George Wilder" in imitation of Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales."

Due to the constant touring and absence from families, the quartet disbanded in 1965. Howard then worked as a solo entertainer and became very popular singing in Hilton hotels in Asia, and later in Hawaii.

But this gave him a strange sense of non-fulfillment as just a 'singer of songs.' In 1976 became a consultant on youth development for the Department Of Maori Affairs, undertaking a program of school visits designed to improve Maori pupil's sense of self esteem, and to encourage them to move on to higher levels of learning. He also developed wananga or education programs on marae.

For six years, Howard became a scarce commodity on the entertainment scene. But in July 1982 he took part in a Television Special. An LP called "Howard Morrison" was made from this, and sold in huge quantities with Howard's versions of "Begin the Beguine," "Granada" "Howie the Maori" etc. But the real highlight was Howard's version of "How Great Thou Art."

While at a Tu Tangata hui in Auckland one day, he heard the hymn, "How Great Thou Art" or "Whakaaria Mai" being sung during the opening prayers. His hair stood on end and he knew at once that this was his song. It was a stunning success when released as a single, holding the number one position on the National charts for five weeks and remained in the charts for over six months.

In April 1990 Howard was nominated for a Knighthood and in October the ceremony was held at Howard's home marae of Ohinemutu where he became Sir Howard Morrison.

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Published on the web 7 April 2002, updated July 2022