Winner
of APRA's 2003 Maioha Award for best Maori composition.
Whārikihia
e hine tō aroha mai
tawhiti e
Hei ara haere māku ki a koe
I te pō, i te whiti o te marama e
Kia taunga anō tāua e
.....E wero nei te
aroha e
Whārikihia e hine tō aroha mai
i mamao
Hei whakamahana i taku moe
E rere nei tāua ki a tāua e
Kia rere tahi ai e
.....E wero nei te
aroha e
Whārikihia e hine tō aroha mai
tawhiti e
E toro mai ō ringa kia pā mai ki ōku
E awhi nei tāua e, kia moe tahi ai e
.....E wero nei te
aroha e
Ahakoa rā te uaua o te haere
Te taumaha o te mahi
Te rangirua o āku whakaaro
Te marangai o te rangi
Te makariri, te mahana ā waho
Tau tonu au i a koe
.....E wero nei te
aroha e
Lay
out, o woman, your love
from afar
As a pathway to you
In the night, while the moon is shining
So we may re-acquaint ourselves
.....Love pierces deep
Lay
out, o woman, your love
from afar
To warm me as I sleep
We fly to each other
And then as one
.....Love pierces deep
Lay
out, o woman, your love
from afar
Let your hands reach out to touch mine
So we embrace and make love
.....Love pierces deep
No matter how hard life is
or heavy the burden
If doubt plagues me
If the rain falls
The cold bites
You will be my foundation
.....Love pierces deep.
Winner of the Maioha Award
In
2003 the APRA Maioha Award for Maori Songwriters was
awarded for the first time to Ngahiwi Apanui for
'Wharikihia.'
The name Maioha embraces creativity and translates as
"a spontaneous composition which reflects a deep
emotional outpouring."
The anonymous panel of judges were looking for lyrics
that were correct in composition, pronunciation and
expression of meaning. The music had to match the
kaupapa, and the lyrics and melody had to travel
together.
'Wharikihia' is a love song to an absent partner,
written in the style of an oriori, or traditional
Maori lullaby. The traditional beat of poi in its
performance gives it a unique pulse.
Singer-songwriter Ngahiwi Apanui was the founding
member of one of the first modern Maori bands, the
Waiata/Reggae/Soul blending group, Aotearoa.
Review by RoughGuide.com
"Right
from the moment the sweetly sonorous voice of Maori
singer-songwriter Ngahiwi Apanui croons acapella on
the opening track, he reels the listener in with a
canny, sensuous subtlety. E Tau Nei (I Arrive)
is both a paean to Maori people and places and a
musical exploration that takes in everything from ska,
dub and reggae to trip-hop, R&B and techno -
without ever glossing over its Polynesian roots...
...
Wharikihia, for example, recalls the chugging
rhythms of Jamaica's Studio One, while being an
oriori, a traditional lullaby, borne out of the sound
of poi balls...
Throughout
the album Apanui highlights ... indigenous Maori
styles by blending them with funky horns, phat
bass-lines and, on the gently soulful To Reo Maori
E some good old-fashioned acoustic strumming."
In
2003 the APRA Maioha Award for Maori Songwriters was
awarded for the first time to Ngahiwi Apanui for
'Wharikihia.'
