Māori Music - Taoka Pūoro

New Zealand's musical heritage dates back to the arrival of the first Māori peoples in Aotearoa. Musical traditions, in the form of waiata (songs) and haka (dance), were passed down from generation to generation and grew from their Polynesian roots. Māori wind instruments would often accompany the voice and music had a specific purpose social, religious or ceremonial.

In Traditional and modern music of the Māori, Terence Barrow writes that the music used 'microtonal intervals' (that is intervals smaller than a semitone). The music was performed outdoors and was closely linked to the sounds of nature - any sound of nature might suggest a song, and birds such as the tui and titi inspired many songs. Many songs were accompanied by movement (haka), and rhythmic elements included foot stamping and thigh slapping. In Māori Games and Haka, Alan Armstrong describes haka as "a composition played by many instruments. Hands, feet, legs, body, voice, tongue, and eyes all play their part in blending together to convey in their fullness the challenge, welcome, exultation, defiance or contempt of the words."

With the arrival of the Europeans came new sounds, new technology and many other changes. Traditional music continued on marae, but Māori music adopted some aspects of harmony and structure found in western music. New instruments were also embraced, and Māori bands and concert parties soon developed, performing hybrid music combining the best of Māori tradition with European tunes and instruments.

Today, the music composed and performed by Māori not only includes and draws on traditional waiata and haka, but also includes rock and roll, soul, reggae, R&B (rhythm and blues) and hip hop. Professor Hirini Moko Mead summed up the range of contemporary Māori music in his 1999 essay Nga Toi Māori: Māori art in Aotearoa New Zealand for Creative New Zealand:

"Maori excel at singing, embracing every style from traditional waiata and classical opera to all forms of contemporary music, including Polynesian hip-hop. As well as opera diva Kiri Te Kanawa, there are popular musicians such Moana Maniapoto of Moana and the Moahunters, Herbs, Emma Paki and Maree Sheehan. These performers and groups, along with many others, have reached the heart of the Maori world and delighted audiences with their performances.

The legacy of the late Dalvanius Prime and his Patea Maori Club are the songs Poi E and Hei Konei Ra. His group enjoyed several years of popularity and used modern technology to superb effect. Kara Pewhairangi is noted for her beautiful rendition of Haere Mai, which has become a classic in Maori music. Then there is the irreplaceable Tui Teka whose legacy is E Ipo.

A number of songs composed in te reo Maori (the Maori language) have become classics, including E Pari Ra and Po Karekare Ana (by Paraire Tomoana), He Putipui Koe (by Sir Apirana Ngata) and Arohaina Mai (by Tuini Ngawai). Pita Sharples, Ngapo Wehi, Dovey Katene Howarth and Trevor Maxwell are among the leading figures in composition for kapa haka or Maori culture clubs. In a class of his own, musician Hirini Melbourne composed many Maori songs, including the popular Tihore Mai Te Rangi, and produced more than 20 recordings."

We recommend: Māori Music resources

Māori music is music composed or performed by Māori. It includes traditional music, waiata, haka and more modern styles such as rock and roll, soul, reggae, R&B (rhythm and blues) and hip hop.

Our online resources:

• Māori music courses - listing from CINCH Community Information Christchurch

Our Internet Gateway recommends:

• Māori Music - Taoka Pūoro - Internet Gateway listing
• Contemporary Māori Music - Internet Gateway listing
• Waiata - Useful information on Māori songs from folksong.org.nz
• He Ara Pūoro (A Pathway of Song) - collaboration between Richard Nunns and Radio New Zealand, whereby Richard plays and begins to describe the many traditional Māori instruments in his collection. Each eight-minute feature has Richard playing an instrument and then talking about its individual history and context.
• Traditional Māori Music - From Discover, a National Library of New Zealand collection of resources selected for use by New Zealand schools.
• Māori Music Industry Coalition - The MMIC is being established to provide a Māori driven representative coalition that can engage and create a meaningful partnership with the New Zealand Music Industry and generate opportunities for industry members.
• Te Māngai Pāho - Crown Entity established to make funding available to the national network of Māori radio stations and for the production of Māori language television programmes, radio programmes and music CDs.
• Iwi Radio - Internet Gateway listing
• Kapa Haka - Internet Gateway listing

Browse the resources in our libraries:

The following catalogue searches will help you find books and sound recordings of Māori music:

• Waiata
• Sound recordings of waiata
• Māori music
• Sound recordings of Māori music
• Haka
• Māori songs for children