TE KAAHU Unveils Triptych Of Waiata

The award-winning TE KAAHU (Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Tiipaa) has released a beautiful triptych of waiata titled I ROTO I TE POO, I ROTO I TE AO, which revolves around the theme of aroha (love).

At the heart of this collection of stirring waiata is the title track - ‘I Roto I Te Poo, I Roto I Te Ao’, which in English means ‘In The Darkness, In The Light’.

Two pao, ‘E Te Tau O Taku Ate’ and ‘Taku Makau’stand either side of ‘I Roto I Te Poo, I Roto I Te Ao’ symbolically representing pou, or pillars of support. Each waiata is accompanied by recitations of the lyrics in both te reo Māori and te reo Pākehā.

“I really enjoy exploring the art of Māori songwriting and one of the beautiful aspects of this is that not all waiata have to be a certain length or structured in the way that we’ve come to know songs in the Pākehā sense. These waiata are intended to be listened to and experienced side by side, but they also stand alone in their own right,” says Theia, the composer and voice behind TE KAAHU.

Theia, who is a fierce proponent for the revitalisation of te reo Māori and tikanga, says it was important to include recitations in both languages to allow a greater understanding of the songs. It also invites the non-Māori speaking listener into her world.

“One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about performing TE KAAHU live, is taking the audience on a journey and sharing with them the meaning of the songs and their stories. At shows, I’ll often recite the lyrics from certain songs, and it’s always met with such a warm reception. So I’ve done that here on this recording.”

Theia wrote and recorded this project when she was Mātairangi Mahi Toi – Artist In Residence at Massey University in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) late last year.

The artwork for the project was done by Jacqui Broughton (Muaūpoko, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa).

“When whaea Jacqui sent me the finished art she accompanied it with this explanation: ‘A wahine wears kootuku feathers in her hair with korowai piupiu dripping in gold protected by tuupuna. He mana wahine!’. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect mahi toi to embody the wairua of this record - love songs written for my ancestors. Tupuna inspired!” says Theia.

The single ‘I Roto I Te Poo, I Roto I Te Ao’, which received funding from NZ On Air, is accompanied by a performance video, which captures the tenderness of the song.

This is the first release from TE KAAHU, since 2022’s critically acclaimed debut album TE KAAHU O RANGI, which was awarded the 2023 Taite Prize for Best Independent Debut. The album was also shortlisted for numerous major music awards, including the main award at the Taite Prize; ‘Best Māori Album’ at the Waiata Māori Music Awards; ‘Best Alternative Artist’ at the AMAs (NZ Music Awards); the Maioha Award at the APRA Silver Scrolls; ‘Favourite Album’, ‘Favourite Single’, ‘Favourite Solo Act’ and ‘Tohu Puoro o te reo Māori’ at the 2022 Student Radio Network Awards and ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best New Artist’ at the 2023 Rolling Stone NZ Awards.

Since then, Theia has toured TE KAAHU extensively throughout Aotearoa, and abroad, including North America where this year she performed at LIghtning In A Bottle Festival and last year, when she performed at the Calgary Folk Music Festival and Folk On The Rocks In Yellowknife.

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