EP release to celebrate Te Rōpū Māori

While studying at Ōtākau Whakaihu Waka, dentistry student Teone Hotu has led the creation of an EP filled with te reo Māori songs composed and performed by students at the University.

Click here for a sneak preview of Te Ata o Tūmāhina, one of the waiata on the EP

A dedicated descendant of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Maniapoto, Teone is in his fourth year of studying dentistry and is set to graduate in 2026.

Teone has recently had the privilege of facilitating a special project to celebrate three decades of Te Rōpū Māori (TRM) —the Māori Students’ Association at the University.

“Te Rōpū Māori 30TH Anniversary EP features a collection of waiata from Te Huinga Tauira, MAOR308, and our TRM anthems, performed and recorded by both current tauira and alumni at the University of Otago’s Te Korokoro o te Tui Recording Studio, School of Performing Arts,” he says.

The EP will be launched at a special release party on 24 July at Auahi Ora.

“It will be a night of celebration for Te Rōpū Māori,” Teone says.

The event will feature performances by TRM tauira, a panel of kaikōrero (speakers), including composers of the waiata, as well as refreshments, and the music video premiere of Te Ata o Tūmāhina, the second track on the EP.

“The idea of putting together this EP came from a realisation that our waiata, many of which we sing at TRM kaupapa and house parties, deserve their own spotlight,” Teone says.

“In my years as a music production and Six60 scholarship student, I spent a lot of time in the studio and built connections with the Otago School of Performing Arts, which is where we were able to record these waiata.

“I saw an opportunity there to make something cool happen, and with the support of TRM and my whānau, that idea was made a reality.”

The EP will be available for everyone to listen to via Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and other major digital music platforms.

“Making these waiata easily accessible allows more people to connect with us and our experiences and hopefully inspires the next generation to walk a similar path, proudly as tauira Māori.

“These waiata tell many stories that relate to us as tauira Māori - seizing the day, striving for excellence, letting our loved ones go, staying grounded in our Māori identity, and showcasing the ‘after-hours’ culture of student life here at Otago. Initially, I think people will be thrilled to finally hear our waiata be put out there. Alumni will hear it on the radio and have flashbacks to their hectic yet nostalgic uni days.

“But beyond that, I hope that in 50 years from now, we can look back and see that what we did here was the start of something bigger, the first in a series of TRM waiata to be produced, or that one song that inspired our mokopuna to strive for excellence and become the first teacher, lawyer, dentist, or doctor in their whānau.”

-Kōrero by Brigham Riwai-Couch, Māori Communications Adviser