Waiata Bros
Tihei Mauri ora! Ko Turanga Mahutonga toku ingoa, he uri tenei no Te Arawa, Taranaki me Ngāti Whakaue. Anei he kōrero e pā ana ki aku mahi pakiwaituhi, ara, ko Waiata Bro’s!
Waiata Bros are joyous waiata with animated characters and “earworm” tunes designed for tamariki and adults alike and especially those who are embarking on their reo Māori journey.
They’re catchy and fun – for everyone to sing along to.
The aim of the series is to give a diverse audience the ability and confidence to speak Māori. The series also offers an easy route to start to understand pepeha, mihi, kare ā roto (emotions), and essential language structures.
Waiata Bro’s was created at M.A.T.C.H – the Māoriland Tech Creative Hub.
TITIRO MAI
Nama
Tahi, Rua, Toru, Whā, Whakarongo mai rā, tamariki mā!
Nama is an easy to learn waiata that teaches tamariki of all ages how to count to 10 in te reo Māori.
Kare-ā-roto
Harikoa = happy, pōuri = sad, hīkaka = eager, hiamoe = sleepy!
Learn the words in te reo Māori for some of the emotions we all experience – Kare-ā-roto – what lies within.
Pepeha
A pepeha is a way of saying where you come from. In this song learn the basics of a pepeha.
A me te O
When talking about ownership and possessions in Māori- the object of possession comes under what’s called the A or O Category.
Mihi o te Rā
Mōrena, Kia ora, Ata Mārie! Morning, Hello, Good Morning – Tītiro mai ki Ngā mihi o te Rā!
An easy to learn waiata full of greetings you can use anywhere you go.
He Mahi
“Kia pakeke ahau, he aha taku hiahia?”
Waiata Bros latest song talks about different job titles in te reo Māori!
Ko au, ko koe
A grammar lesson in a song – how to use You, me, us in Māori.
Matariki Ahunga Nui
About the Kaupapa
21 year old Turanga Mahutonga is Waiata Bro’s. Turanga wrote, recorded and animated these catchy Māori language songs to share his love for his native language.
Album is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and all major platforms
Music videos are out on YouTube
Turanga Mahutonga
Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Moeahu
Ko Turanga Jacob Mahutonga tōku ingoa. He uri tēnei nō Te Arawa Taranaki me Ngāti Whakaue. I grew up in Rotorua and in my second year out of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata, I moved to Ōtaki for a 6-week animation course at the Māoriland Tech Creative Hub (MATCH).
Following graduation at MATCH I raised $8,300 on the Boosted crowdfunding platform to develop my series. I am now a full-time animator at MATCH.
Music, te reo Māori, art and animation are my passions.
He aha ai kei te pirangi ahau te mahi i tēnei?
I au e tamariki ana, i waimarie au i tipu au i roto i te reo Māori, i roto i te ao Māori. I tipu hoki au i roto i ngā pūkenga o te toi me ngā pūoro. Heoi, ahakoa tēra, he tamariki e heke mai ana i te Māori, a, he reo kore tā rātou nā te mea kāore i tipu i roto i te ao Māori nā ngā ahuatanga o te porihanga e kahaki atu te reo Māori. Nā tērā ka mate te reo, a, ki te mate te reo ka mate te iwi Māori. Nā reira, ko tāku e hiahia ana he awhina kia whakarauora i te reo – ahakoa iti, ahakoa nui te mahi.
I was very fortunate to grow up with te reo Māori and a Māori worldview. I also grew skills in art and music. Now despite that, there are Māori children who do not have the language because they didn’t grow up in a Māori world, thanks to the nature of a society that kidnapped the Māori language. If the Māori language dies the Māori people will die. Therefore it is my intention to help give life to the reo – no matter what!
Me pēhea? HOW?
Nā ōku pukenga toi me te whakatangi pūoro, ko tāku he tito waiata Māori mō ngā nohinohi, ā, ka pakiwaituhingia kia āhei te matakitaki, kia kite ngā tamariki i te pānga o te reo Māori ki te Māori, kia ako anō hoki.
My skills are art and making music so by writing the songs and the animations small kids can watch and hear reo Māori and learn.
M.A.T.C.H
This project has been developed through the Māoriland Tech Creative Hub (MATCH) Incubator. Through training, mentorship, and industry-led opportunities M.A.T.C.H is a pathway for rangatahi to high-value careers as producers, developers, and thought-pioneers of the future.
Turanga is a graduate of the second MATCH intake (Jan 2021) where he impressed with his passion for te reo Māori, and his exceptional skills in art and animation.
Turanga is a typical representative of a new generation of wharekura graduates who are committed to normalising the language in easy and inclusive ways. For Turanga, his contribution is less dependent on rules of grammar, but makes full use of simple songs and cheery feel-good imagery. The all embracing spirit that is evident in these animations helps beginners in the language feel as if they want to learn – and that to do so, is fun.