Winners of the E Tū Whānau Song Competition 2024

Kua takoto te manuka,

Kua kawea ake koe te wero,

Kua whakaihuwaka koe, kua toa.

The leaves of the manuka tree have been laid down,

You accepted the challenge,

Your nose is in the clear, you have won.

The winners of the three categories of the E Tū Whānau Song Competition 2024 are:

Open Category

• 1^st – Hine me te rā by Anatipa Te Hā o Hinehopu (Rongomaiwahine, Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa, Ngāi te Rangi) of Nūhaka. Kaitautoko – Tārei Hāpuku, Taisha Tari. Audio Engineer Christian Mausia.

• 2^nd – Poipoia te kākano by Tōmuri Spicer (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa) of St Kilda, Dunedin.

• 3^rd – I pray by Ngatai Waretini (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāpuhi) of Poroporo.

• Highly Commended  – A father’s love by Kahu Turner-Houkamau (Ngāti Porou) of Rotorua.
• Highly Commended – Kia tata iho mai rā by Rāwiri Gilgen (Tainui, Waikato) of Tokomaru Bay.

Rangatahi Category     

• 1^st – Ka ao ka awatea (Things get better) by Tyree Wall (Ngāti Tutemohuta, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) of Richmond Heights, Taupō.
• 2^nd – Kāinga by Te Kani a Takirau Porter (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou) of Gisborne.
• 3^rd – Ngā piki ngā heke by Waiariki Gear (Ngāti Awa) of Te Puna, Bay of Plenty. Performed, written and composed by Te Whei Ao Harris, Tuara Rahiri, Waiariki Gear, Maria Williams.

• Highly Commended – Nōku te ki, nōku te ao by Karly-Jewel and Rawinia Gordon (Ngāriki Kaiputahi, Ngāti Uepōhatu) of Elgin, Gisborne.
• Highly Commended – Hinepukohurangi by Te Aniwaniwa Hori-Temara (Tūhoe) of Lower Hutt, Wellington. Composed by Snow Chase.

People’s Choice Award

• Soldier on by by Devonjay Eke (Tonga) of Otara, Auckland.

“Rongoa for the Soul”

The Open and Rangatahi categories of the E Tū Whānau Song Competition 2024 were judged by renowned, award-winning musicians Maisey Rika, Pere Wihongi, and Tawaroa Kawana.

Maisey Rika, one of the judges of this year’s competition

Pere Wihongi, one of the judges of this year’s competition

Tawaroa Kawana, one of the judges of this year’s competition

Maisey said the judges were “blown away” by the creativity shown by entrants in this year’s competition and the thoughtful, future-focused korero embedded in their waiata.

“We need to hear their beautiful creations. Their voices matter,” Maisey says. “It was an honour to have been invited into every contestant’s world and to experience the range of topics and styles they chose to express this year’s kaupapa, ‘My whānau my future’”.

Some are old school; others are very modern. Some entries spoke of the equality and mutual respect between wāhine and tāne, others described Māori and Pākeha going forward together and learning from our mistakes so that our children can thrive.

“These are heartfelt waiata, opening up space for healing and aroha. I call it rongoa for the soul,” says Maisey Rika.

This is the sixth time the E Tū Whānau song competition is being run by Māori Media Network in conjunction with iwi radio and E Tū Whānau.

“The theme of this year’s song competition speaks to the manawa, the heart of the E Tū Whānau kaupapa – te mana kaha o te whānau – the strength and power of the whānau,” says E Tū Whānau Kaiwhakahaere, Heni Turner. “Within E Tū Whānau, we see the strength and power of whānau demonstrated every day through the mahi of the community partners we support. We’re all working together for a prosperous, violence-free future for everyone. Now that’s something to sing about!“

Teresa McGregor of Māori Media Network says the E Tū Whānau Song Competition 2024 has been a wonderful opportunity for whānau throughout Aotearoa to express their aroha and hope for the future of their whānau through the language of music.

Want more?

Read about Tiare and the Young Guns of Taipa, Rangatahi category winners in 2020 or Jasmine Pene who won the Open category that year.

Check out the winners and other strong entries into the E Tū Whānau Spoken Word Competition 2021.