For more than 60 years, no other waiata has been composed or written purely for the Pā.
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See below for English translation
E kīa ana mō Wāhiao te tupuna mō Mita Taupopoki tēnei waiata. E rua, e rua. Kua hipa ngā whakatupuranga e toru, ā, kai te whakanuia tonutia tō rātau tupuna e te rahi o Te Whakarewarewa i Rotorua.
Kua hipa ngā tau e ono tekau mā waru, ā, e noho mahanga hoki nei tēnei waiata ki ōna tuakana ko ‘Nau Mai’ tetehi. Nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e toru tekau mā rima i tito ai tēnei waiata Ngātai Ratema Bubs hai whakateitei i tōna ariki i a Mita Taupopoki.
Nā Mita Taupopoki te Tiuka o Gloucester i whakamanuwhiri. Ko te waiata tuarua o tēnei kāhui waiata rangatira, he mea nā Hori Taranaki i tito. Ko ‘Haere mai Tuhourangi.’I rikoatangia tēnei waiata e te Hokowhitu a Tū nō rātau e whawhai ana i te iwi o tiamana i te koraha. Nō te kotahi ngāhuru mā rima o Ōketopa, nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e wha tekau mā rua te tau.
Nō te tau e rua mano mā toru ka whakahoungia te pā taunaha o Te Whakarewarewa e te iwi ka awhinatia rātau e Marae DIY. Ka tahuri mai ētehi o ngā whaea mātanga ki te raranga, he tono nā rātau kia titoa e ahau he waiata hai whakamaumahara ki ngā mahi nui e kawea ana i taua rangi tonu.
Ka rata katoa taku whatumanawa, nā wai rā ka tahuri atu ahau ki tō tātau kuia pakeke a Huhana ‘Bubbles’Mihinui me āna kupu ngāwari e āta mirimiri ai aku whakaaro kia tika te takoto kia tika hoki te kawe i te mana o te rā hai waiata niho roa mō ngā tau haere ake nei, me ngā whakatupuranga huhua hoki.
Ka noho ko ia te haeoratū o te waiata, ka noho ko ia tō tātau parata whakahirahira o te waka. Ā, nā wai, nā wai kua kowhatungia te mana o te waiata hai whārangi mau roa ki ngā pukapuka a te iwi.
Nō te rua tekau mā tahi o Akuwhata nō te tau e rua mano mā tahi ka whakarewangia te waiata ki te koroneihana o Te Atairangikaahu i Ngaruawāhia ki te aroaro o tō tātau Kuini Māori me te Pirimia o Aotearoa ko Helen Clarke.
Kia mōhio hoki ai e te marea, kai te rangona hoki tēnei waiata i iwi kē atu. Kai roto o Ngāti Porou me Waikato tēnei waiata nō reira ko tāku he whakaihiihi i te waiata kia tū ko ia anake te whetu tārake o te rangi. Inā ka huihuia te mano o te tangata, he māmā noa nō te manu kura kia karangangia te iwi kia kotahi mai ki te whakapāoho atu i tēnei waiata ko Tāpapa mai e hine.
Ko te waiata: Ko Wāhiao te tupuna (Mita Taupopoki)
Celebrated by more than three generations “Wāhiao Te Tupuna” or widely known and dubbed by its people as “Mita Taupopoki” was one of the last songs ever written for the people of Whakarewarewa.
For more than 60 years, no other waiata has been composed or written purely for the Pā
It is my honour to mention that “Wāhiao Te Tupuna” can now take its place alongside its two predecessors “Nau Mai” written by the late Ngātai Ratema Bubs between 1927-1935 When Mita Taupopoki hosted the Duke of Gloucester on one of his many visits to our shores, and the other song being “Haere mai Tuhourangi” written by an esteem and notable writer of his time, Hori Taranaki, and it was first sung and recorded by members of the Māori Battalion in the middle east during world war II on the 15th of October 1942.
Mita Taupopoki.
In 2003 the Marae DIY TV programme took place at our village of Te Whakarewarewa and some of our weavers randomly asked me if I could write a waiata about the event that was taking place of which I happily agreed to do and over the following days, the interest in the song grew momentum among the people, and because of this interest I was suddenly approached by one of our most prestigious kuia at that time, Huhana “Bubbles” Mihinui, who spoke to me in an assertive yet subtle manner and advised me to proceed with caution and that I needed to be fully aware of the importance and significance of what I was creating, and the legacy that it would leave behind, and so it was, she gave her blessing, and the foundation was laid, and very quickly this waiata had made quiet a phenomenal impact on the people, as I envisioned it would, especially with our tamariki, because the tune was familiar and the lyrics highlighted the whakapapa of our village, therefore everything about the composition was catchy generically constructed for all to enjoy and participate in.
Wāhiao Te Tupuna was written out of love for its people. Written respect and integrity, written with meaning and purpose, written with honour and pride, written with the dignity and humility.
Over the years I have attended and witnessed other tribes such as Ngati Porou and the people of Tainui performing their own versions of this same song, and I used to think in the back of my mind that maybe one day we would have our own version, so the idea and the inspiration to come up with our own unique version of “Tāpapa mai e hine” wasn’t a total surprise when the opportunity presented itself to me when it did, when you factor in all the synchronicities I’ve just explained, then I’m sure you would agree with me when I say the inevitable would finally happen, It happened! and I will always be forever humbled and remain a faithful servant to my people.
