Te Whānau Puoro, made up of students from Flaxmere College and Tamatea High School, on the way to being the next big Kiwi band.
Te Whānau Puoro, made up of students from Flaxmere College and Tamatea High School, on the way to being the next big Kiwi band.
Te Whānau Puoro, a band formed from students at both Flaxmere College and Tamatea High School, who joined forces to compete in the 2024 Smokefree Tangata Beats competition, are now ready to take on the New Zealand music industry.
After winning the regional 2024 Smokefree Tangata Beats, Te Whānau Puoro then took top spot on the national stage, giving the band the chance to record and release Rise Up with a music video to accompany the song.
A Smokefree Tangata Beats spokesperson said the band’s “performance of Rise Up impressed audiences during the competition, which serves as a platform for showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific”.
Te Whānau Puoro lead singer Shayne Te Kuru and lead guitarist Izrael Shields jamming out after band's first single and music video drop. Photo / Paul Taylor
Te Whānau Puoro lead singer Shayne Te Kuru shared insight into the song and said, “the message we aim to convey is that by coming together, we can rise above oppression”.
Te Kuru added, “we hope that our waiata will empower people and deepen their connection to ancestral knowledge”.
The journey of Te Whānau Puoro is a unique one as music duo and couple Talitha Blake, of Flaxmere College, and Tukotahi Raki, a music tutor at both Tamatea High and Flaxmere College, brought the band together after seeing their potential and that neither school had enough students for their own band.
Raki said he has always wanted to connected many schools through music so being able to connect them and show the aroha between the schools and Hastings and Napier was a big foundation.
Te Whanau Puoro vocal and guitarist Aroha Sellwood and drummer Koha Sellwood. Photo / Paul Taylor
The pair are extremely proud of the group and Blake said “as Kaiako (teachers) it was definitely a highlight of the mahi put into what is now Te Whānau Puoro.
“It has always been a vision of ours to see our rangatahi, like Te Whānau Puoro thrive in what they are good at and this band is not just any band they are the band to watch out for.”
The bands dedication earned them not only accolades and money for music equipment but also gave them the opportunity to record the single and produce an accompanying video with the support of NZ On Air and the RQP team.
The process of professionally recording a song and filming a music video was a new experience for everyone in the band.
When asked what it was like filming a music video lead singer Te Kuru said, “as a Band we are use to preforming all together however as you can see in the music video we had had to some separate shots and that was pretty out of it, with the camera being right in my face and then the rest of the band in the corner of the room we here in.”
Te Whānau Puoro base player Hohua Mitai-Price and keyboardist Naiara Marshall. Photo / Paul Taylor
The band’s lead guitarist Izrael Shields said it was “nerve-racking as to have close ups by ourselves, but it was pretty cool, almost felt like we were a big-time band so it was pretty neat.”
He added: “The video came out really good and exceeded out expectations for sure and it shows the rawness of our band and how close we are”.
Rise Up was recorded at Massey Studios in Te Whanganui a Tara - Wellington, under the guidance of mentor Conway Jeune from Waiata Māori Music Award-winning act Toi.
The official music video, directed by Dave Thomson at Imaginary Friends, provides a captivating glimpse into the studio session.
After the 2024 Smokefree Tangata Beats win, Te Whānau Puoro has already had a few gigs including taking the stage at 2024 Outfield Festival in Te Awanga.
The group is keen to stick together and and preform at more events and hope to become the local go-to opening band when big names come to Hawke’s Bay and maybe even become New Zealand’s next big band.
Te Whānau Puoro are a group to keep your eyes on over the next few years. Check out the band’s video on YouTube now.
Maddisyn Jeffares became the editor of the Hawke’s Bay community papers Hastings Leader and Napier Courier in 2023 after writing at the Hastings Leader for almost a year. She has been a reporter with NZME for almost three years and has a strong focus on what’s going on in communities, good and bad, big and small. Email news tips to her at: maddisyn.jeffares@nzme.co.nz.
