Aro: Live from the Museum via Facebook Live

For Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2020, Tāmaki Paenga Hira will host Aro, for an evening of waiata and kōrero via Facebook live.

Join us from anywhere as we gather online and support the regeneration of Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa.

Aro consists of husband and wife Charles (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata, Te Ati Awa) and Emily Looker. The pair share a passion for the power of language and music to tell stories and remind us of our cultural identity. The duo were finalists for the Maioha Award at the Silver Scrolls (2019) and the APRA Best Children’s Song Award for their song Korimako (2020).

He Manu Anō, released on 27 August, is an extension of their bilingual debut album Manu, which told the tales of 10 native manu, playing on the birds characteristics and some of their significance for Māori – through a mixture of vocals, Māori rhythms, chants and instrumentation. The EP consists of songs of the most requested birds that did not appear on their first album 'Manu', and is entirely in te reo Māori.

The duo have spent time researching the stories and sounds of each bird, and understanding their character to create upbeat waiata inspired by nature, and wholly original to Aotearoa. The kaupapa behind this project is to address identity, and to encourage people to be proud of who they are as Māori and as New Zealanders. Using the birds characteristics and Māori legends about the birds, the waiata tell a story of trying to find one’s place in the world.

To be notified when the Pukamata (Facebook) livestream is starting, click through to https://www.facebook.com/AucklandMuseum/live_videos/ and then click 'Get reminder' or the star button.