He mana whenua, he mana tangata, he reo taketake te paoro atu nei i te waiata hou a Stan Walker, ‘Mō Āke Tonu’.

Ko tā Walker, he whawhai i tōna whawhai, he whai i te ara kua roa nei e takahia ana e te iwi Māori.

“For generations [Māori] have been marching and fighting, but now the fight looks a little bit different. I can write a song about it, I can do a video clip about it, I can pen it down and be able to kind of fight in that way.”

“To remind people [that] we’re still fighting, we’re still here and we will never be lost.”

Ka rangona hoki te pao i tākina ai e Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke o Te Pāti Māori, i tōna tohenga ki te pire mātāpono o Te Tiriti i te whare Pāremata.

“I asked Hana to be a part of [the song] so that we could share the story, our own stories, and our own histories, and bring life back into these places where there was so much mate there.”

Ki konei whakatauria ai e Walke,r kia titoa tētahi waiata e rangona whānuitia ai te tangi o tana ngākau, me ngā reo o ngā iwi taketake o te ao.

Walker joined the masses in last year’s Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, marching to Parliament in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill.

He says, “It gave me more insight, [more] perspective, and more [fire] to go back and actually change the song and rewrite it in a different way from that lens.”

He notes that the waiata’s release is especially significant given the axing of the Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament last week.

Amplifying indigenous voices

‘Mō Āke Tonu’ resonates with the ongoing struggle and resilience of Indigenous resistance. The music video, filmed in the historic trenches of Rangiriri Pā—site of a key battle during the New Zealand Land Wars—pays tribute to the past while spotlighting the continued fight for justice.

“We’re bringing light to our stories—where they happened, and the layers within those battles,” Stan says.

The waiata weaves together traditional indigenous instruments including ipu heke, boomerangs, didgeridoo, and taonga puoro like pōrutu pounamu, pūtātara, and nguru parāoa.

“It’s a reminder to indigenous peoples everywhere—we feel your mamae, and you’re not alone.”

He karere ki ngā iwi taketake o te ao

Kua horapa hoki tēnei karere a Walker ki te ao, mōna i tāpoi i Hawaii, i Amerika i ngā wiki tata nei.

“Seeing the Polynesian community there was huge, and they were so inviting and [they’re] hungry for our culture.”

Walker notes that he has never experienced a feeling like this in his 16-year career.

“[I] feel like there’s more of a hunger and [a] beautiful response outside of the country.”

Me hanumi rānei ngā take tōrangapū i roto i ngā titonga waiata?

Kua roa kē a Walker e whakangahau ana i te marea, engari, me hanumi rānei ngā take tōrangapū i roto i ēnei titonga waiata?

“If me being Maori is political, then it’s political. But we’re just trying to be the best Māori, I’m just trying to be the best version of myself.”

Hei tāna anō, koinei hoki te wāhanga ki a ia, he waha i ngā take e whai pānga nei ki te iwi Māori.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility with the platform and the voice that I do have, it’s not just to [serve] people with nice songs - [I’m] just sharing our stories. I’m sharing our histories.”

Hei tērā wiki, hoki anō ai tēnei manu tīoriori ki Amerika ki te kauhau i tana karere ki te ao.