Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies, inset, and Bay of Plenty singer Nikau Grace. A bilingual Anzac waiata to celebrate the “significant” legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion has been released.
Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies, inset, and Bay of Plenty singer Nikau Grace. A bilingual Anzac waiata to celebrate the “significant” legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion has been released.
A bilingual Anzac waiata to celebrate the “significant” legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion has been released today, marking the first Anzac Day without any living members following the death of Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies in November.
The song He Aha Te Aha is a collaboration between Bay of Plenty singer Nikau Grace, producer Kings, mātanga reo (language consultant) Dr Jeremy MacLeod and Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue.
A Waiata Anthems press release said it acknowledged Gillies’ Te Arawa and Ngāti Kahungunu whakapapa, with a musical team sharing strong personal ties to Gillies’ and the Māori Battalion’s history.
It was an ode to the 28th Māori Battalion soldiers and “their service, their sacrifice, and to the resilience of the Māori culture”.
Released as a special project under the Waiata Anthems musical series, the waiata aimed to ensure the “significant” legacy of the 28th Māori Battalion and Tā Bom Gillies continued to be remembered and resonate for generations to come.
Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies - pictured in 2022 - who was the last surviving member of the 28th Māori Battalion before he died in November 2024. Photo / Andrew Warner
“It is an ōhākī [parting wish] to the future; a promise that we will not forget their sacrifices and the values they upheld.”
‘Our promise that we won’t forget’
Nikau’s grandfather fought alongside Gillies. She co-wrote the waiata and is the main singer.
The 17-year-old - who lives between Rotorua and Kawerau - told the Rotorua Daily Post Waiata Anthems commissioned her and other artists to create a waiata to honour the 28th Māori Battalion “considering this is the first year without any living members”.
She said the waiata was “our promise that we won’t forget“.
“I feel like we don’t talk enough about how massive their sacrifice was.
“It felt like a way of saying ‘thank you’ ... to all of the soldiers in the 28th battalion.”
Singer Nikau Grace, 17, is the main singer for a bilingual Anzac song He Aha Te Aha which has been released in honour of Sir Robert "Bom" Gillies and the 28th Māori Battalion soldiers. Photo / Supplied
She said it was a moment for all New Zealanders to remember and reflect.
“Even if you don’t know much about the Māori Battalion, I really hope that this song can help people find and feel something. That’s where the remembering begins.
“With no one left from the 28th Māori Battalion, they can’t speak any more so that’s what we have to do.”
Nikau said it was “incredibly special” to sing the waiata due to her personal connections to the 28th Māori Battalion.
“I kind of grew up hearing the names of the soldiers and being told stories and my Nan’s memories.”
“It was so much fun ... just a lot of happy people who were all there for the reason of honouring our tūpuna [ancestors].”
Nikau - who studies te reo Māori at the University of Waikato in Tauranga - said she became a “performer” singer when she was 7 and sang at Kawerau’s Christmas in the Park.
“From then, I just was so fortunate to find all these incredible people who really wanted to help mold and shape my voice.
“I’m not sure if I would be where I am right now if it weren’t for my village.”
The waiata has been released today on all streaming platforms, along with a short documentary and music video on Waiata Anthems platforms.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
