Jason Momoa thrills crowd at Cyclone Gabrielle Maranga Rise Up Aotearoa relief concert in West Auckland

Jason Momoa made a surprise appearance at the Maranga Rise Up Aotearoa Cyclone Gabrielle relief concert in West Auckland. Photo / Whakaata Māori

Hollywood star Jason Momoa’s surprise appearance at Maranga Rise Up Aotearoa relief concert for Cyclone Gabrielle yesterday has sparked a flurry of excitement on Instagram.

In a reel posted by Whakaata Māori, Momoa, who is in New Zealand for his new series, Chief of War, was snapped in a series of images on-stage in West Auckland.

After taking charge of a microphone to address the enraptured crowd, Momoa is seen removing his purple shirt and tossing it into the 30,000-plus crowd at Parrs Park in Glen Eden.

Momoa fans have expressed their appreciation for the star showing up at the event, which raised $700,000 for whānau affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

One supporter commented: “Love that he’s out there supporting indigenous events. Tumeke!”

While another wrote: “Far out he must have heaps of shirts, he never leaves wearing one.”

Another suggested the Aquaman star “Shoulda made everyone donate first, then take his shirt off, lol [sic]”.

Others shared their upset at missing out on being at the event to see Momoa.

“Why does the universe hate me? Nobody told us he was going to be there ... lol”, wrote one fan.

Jason Momoa as Aquaman on the set of Justice League. Photo / File

Other notable celebrities who took part in the eight-hour concert included Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bic Runga, Stan Walker, Ardijah, Kings, Ria Hall, Rob Ruha and Drax Project plus an unexpected onstage appearance by Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis.

Streamed on the Herald platform as well as broadcast live on TikTok, Whakaata Māori and TVNZ, the event was a collaborative effort of West Auckland Urban Māori authority, Whānau Waipareira, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and Whakaata Māori.

Waipareira CEO John Tamihere said the music event was about making sure the messages of support reached whānau across the mōtu.

“Whānau know we understand the challenges ahead in the next week, month, 12 months and 18 months. All of this money raised through #Maranga is a huge part of ensuring they continue to receive the assistance they deserve,” he said.