Kia Whanake Drops Waiata To Support Te Reo Māori Learning For Everyday

As tamariki across Aotearoa settle back into their school routines, Kia Whanake has released two new waiata designed to embed te reo Māori into daily whānau rituals.

The new singles, ‘Ngā mahi o te ata’ and ‘Ngā mahi o te pō’, describe the routines of waking up in the morning and settling down at night, respectively.

Codi Wehi-Ngatai (Ngāti Maniapoto), the musician and founder behind Kia Whanake, is a passionate advocate for te reo Māori and continues his mission of supporting te reo revitalisation through music. He was inspired to start Kia Whanake while teaching his daughter to kōrero Māori at home, when he noticed a critical gap in educational waiata reo Māori for tamariki.

“Kia Whanake means to grow or develop, and that is exactly what I hope this kaupapa will support,” says Wehi-Ngatai.

“By integrating te reo Māori into everyday routines, these waiata provide tamariki with a fun and engaging way to start and end their days, while building their language skills.”

The new singles are the first release of the upcoming ‘Rua’ EP, which will build on the Kia Whanake release ‘Tahi’. This debut EP introduced waiata about animals, shapes, colours, and whānau.

To support kaiako and whānau, Kia Whanake has also released corresponding educational resources and music videos that integrate with the waiata.

“Music has always been an effective tool for learning,” Wehi-Ngatai adds.

“These waiata, alongside the supporting videos and resources, offer whānau and educators another way to bring te reo Māori into daily life. Because te reo Māori isn’t just for special occasions. It’s for everyday.”

Wehi-Ngatai is currently a student at Te Wānanga Takiura, where he is deepening his own knowledge of Te Reo Māori and Te Ao Māori.

‘Ngā mahi o te ata’ and ‘Ngā mahi o te pō’ were created with the support of NZ On Air and are available on all major streaming platforms now. Educational resources are now available for whānau, schools and Kōhanga Reo from www.kiawhanake.co.nz.

Codi Wehi has been in a variety of bands with different genres, but has decided to make the shift towards music for tamariki. Recognising a lack of simple waiata to support the learning of te reo Māori for children, Codi began writing his own songs with this purpose. He was inspired by his daughter's quick uptake of kupu Māori through waiata, which motivated him to share these waiata with others under the kaupapa ‘Kia Whanake’.

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