The Harmonic Resonators are finding their te ao Māori roots. Photo / Supplied
The Harmonic Resonators are finding their te ao Māori roots. Photo / Supplied
The Harmonic Resonators are a family that plays together and stays together. Their roots are deeply ingrained in Tauranga and their use of te reo is hitting a high note with fans.
Group member Jeremy Hantler talks about the band.
Kahu: Tell us about your family band - how did it come about and who is in it?
JH: We’ve been playing music as a family since I was in the womb or generations before that - depending on where you want to start the story!
Mum (the Matriarch), Dad (the Grand-daddy of Country Music) and I (moko), met our best friends Ryan (Mr Mac) and his mum Sharon (Aunty) after our families joined the Morrinsville Country Music Club almost 30 years ago, and roped in the young fella Ryan (the Guv’nor) about 15 years ago. We’ve been singing harmonies ever since. When I moved to Tauranga to be closer to family we reunited the family band, popped a few clips on the internet and the rest is history.
Kahu: Your band champions using te reo in your songs - why is this important to you and your whānau?
JH: Sharon and Mac are connecting with their whānau in Pare Hauraki and their whakapapa links by continuing their journey with te reo and waiata Māori, and for myself and Mum it is becoming something of a return home to our Kai Tahu whakapapa from Te Waipounamu, from which we have been distant for generations. Incorporating te reo Māori into our music is our way to share these journeys and connect with others on a similar path.
Jeremy Hantler from The Harmonic Resonators. Photo / Supplied
Kahu: Mānawatia a Matariki is broadcast on all major networks and will be watched by hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders - is this your biggest audience yet?
JH: Most definitely. The RNZ videos in which we appear are among the network’s highest viewed on YouTube, and our appearance on Hongi to Hāngi in 2022 received positive reviews from our communities, but we are even more honoured to be part of such a huge moment in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history - helping to officially usher in Matariki as a public holiday for the second time ever. Ka nui te mihi ki a Kahawai Productions who sent us the tono to be involved this year, and for the outstanding manaaki from all of the Mānawatia a Matariki whānui.
Kahu: What does Matariki mean to you and how will you personally be celebrating on the 14th?
JH: We will get together as a family to watch the livestream and share a meal. Hopefully we will take it a little further and remember special moments and people from the year passing, and set some positive intentions for the year ahead. And then of course the guitars will come out!
For me personally, it makes sense to make more of a midwinter gathering. This is when I feel we are all in need of some reflecting, renewing, whānau, feasting and feel-good vibes.
Kahu: The range of music the Harmonic Resonators sings spans decades - what can Kiwis expect to see from you during the broadcast?
JH: A mix of old school throwbacks from the best singalongs you’ve been to, with a couple of newer songs which we play with that humble Kiwi-country feel that people seem to love! Maybe even a yodel thrown in too! For us it’s just another day of making music together; some parts are a bit rough-and-ready-after-party, some moments feel like they ring like greenstone, and all of it is just a blast to be a part of.
The Harmonic Resonators are part of the Mānawatia a Matariki broadcast, Friday, July 14, from 6am on NZME, TVNZ 1, TVNZ+, Three, Prime, Whakaata Māori, Pasifika TV, RNZ and Stuff.
