Tenei Matou

KUPU MĀORI

Tenei matou e tu atu nei
ki te whakangahau i te ope nei e
- te iwi - aue, aue -
Puritia ra to mana Maori e
He tohutohu i roto tenei wa.

Ahakoa matou kua riro nei
ko te maname te wehi kia mau e.
No reira e hoa ma,
te wahine pai e kori atu nei.
- aue, e hine ma, tukutuku tukua -
o taha e rua no reira kia mau e.

TRANSLATION

We stand here
to entertain with this performance
- all of you - indeed, indeed -
so that your Maori pride may be maintained
by the message it contains.

Nevertheless we have taken pride
and awe in bringing this.
And so my good friends
see this good woman dancing here.
Indeed, oh girls, she's like a tukutuku weaver,
weaving and binding our culture together.

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