Toia (mai te waka nei)

Toia Mai te waka nei is the second verse of a song that master carver Piri Poutapu composed in 1936.  He built seven carved waka taua representing the people of the seven principal voyaging canoes that arrived in Aotearoa from Hawaiki.

The waka taua would go to Waitangi for the 1940 centennial of the signing of the Treaty. They were shown around the country as symbols that 'things were going to get better' for Māori.

The waiata is often sung now as a welcome song.

We sing the waiata once through all together, then the boys break into a haka while the girls keep the melody.  The boys join back in for the last line (hui e, tāiki e).  Watch the video to see how this works.


KUPU MĀORI

Tōia mai te waka nei
Kūmea mai te waka nei
Ki te takotoranga i takoto ai
Tiriti te mana motuhake

Te tangi a te manu e
Pīpī-wha-rau-roa
Kūi! Kūi! Kūi!
Whitiwhiti ora!
Hui e, tāiki e.

KUPU MĀORI HAKA (boys)

kokoma i te ko komako
ko te hau tapu e rite ki te kai tapu na Matariki (pakia)
Tapa reireia koia tapa
tapa konunua koia ana tukua hi aue hi (boys go to ground)
Leader: ko te iwi Māori e ngunguru nei
All boys: Hi au au aue Ha (x2)
Leader: i a ha ha!
All boys (standing): ka tu te ihi, ihi ka tu te wanawana
ki runga i te rangi e tu iho nei, tu iho nei
Hi aue hi.


TRANSLATION

Haul this canoe
drag the canoe up here
to its resting place;
the Treaty gives us our autonomy.

May the cry of the bird,
the shining cuckoo
- Cooee! Cooee! Cooee! -
signal a change for the better.
Draw together, become intertwined!

 

Bonus - listen to the call of pīpīwharauroa and see if you can hear Kūi! Kūi!

NZ Birds > Pipiwharauroa