Hamilton City councillors and staff taking part in a performance of the city's new waiata. Image / Hamilton City Council
Hamilton City councillors and staff taking part in a performance of the city's new waiata. Image / Hamilton City Council
In a first for Hamilton City Council, a Māori waiata has been created by one of the council's Māngai Māori to celebrate the city's local culture and the steps it has taken to work with local iwi.
Māngai Māori Norm Hill, who sits on the Hamilton City Council's operations committee, as one of the voices of Māori for local iwi said he created the waiata because he saw an opportunity to put a cultural compass within the heart of the council.
The lyrics make mention of how the Waikato River and the surrounding mountains and hills connect the city, while the residents are the beating heart.
"We live in a bicultural country and so it is up to us to help display our different cultures in the roles that we play," Hill said.
"I took the opportunity of creating a waiata to reinforce the cultural identity and connection to Kirikiriroa. The words that I used are about being grounded in Hamilton, the roots and being connected to the history of Kirikiriroa from a Māori point of view, but then culturally that transforming that into the contemporary space that we live in and connecting non-Māori to Māori.
"Te Reo Māori connects everyone who lives in Kirikiriroa, and it also showcases the history of Māori as well so that is why I created the waiata."
Hill said he was proud of how the council reacted to the waiata, with a number of the city councillors taking part in singing the waiata on the council's Facebook page, while also singling out deputy mayor Geoff Taylor.
Hamilton City Council Mangai Maori Norm Hill. Photo / Supplied
"When you watch the video and how Geoff [Taylor] sings the song and gets really into the actions, that is great because he has been working hard with his Te Reo Māori and he came up to me and said that this made him really proud
"To sing it, understand it and believe it is also another part of understanding Māori culture. It made me really proud to see the connection the councillors had with the waiata.
"It's the first in the history of this council so it is a great koha for me to give them."
Hill said that councillor Mark Bunting asked him if he could use the waiata when he was hosting events in Hamilton, to which Hill said the waiata was for all of Hamilton and could be used throughout the city.
He said he was happy that more councils around New Zealand were beginning to embrace Māori culture with the local iwi representatives being appointed around several councils in the Waikato now including Waipa and Waikato district councils.
"We can always do more, hopefully in time the Māori wards can be brought in and become a place where we can reaffirm our cultural aspirations within the council.
"The cultural compass of the country has changed, Māori certainly have a place in our history and how we reaffirm that going forward is crucial to the sustainability of our culture, through language, through waiata, and through decision making.
"The question is how can we use our culture to empower and create oneness across Aotearoa."
The lyrics of the waiata
Te Koopu mania te ukaipo Waikato e rere nei Nga maunga e tu tonu Ko nga tangata ko nga mea nui He piko he tangata He piko he taniwha He piko he mana Tihei Mauri ora He piko he tangata He piko he taniwha He piko he mana Tihei Mauri ora
