Mōteatea is a centuries-old tradition of chanted song-poetry; a great literary and musical art form that expresses the powerful portrayal of storytelling and is reflective of the emotional depths of a Māori world view. Its vast richness is yet to be fully understood.
In these eleven episodes, over three series, hosted by Crystal Edwards, we hold conversations with some of the world’s leading experts on mōteatea and ask them: What does mōteatea mean to you? Traditionally, why were they composed, and how have they changed? Who are some key composers of mōteatea and how have they influenced your music?
Season 3, Episode 1
Please note: This podcast is spoken in te reo Māori & English
“Kimihia he huarahi hou, e ora mai ai ērā taonga tuku iho, kei moumou noaiho.” [Find a way that these treasures might live, lest they be wasted.]
Paraone Gloyne is an acclaimed composer, orator, and performing artist whose compositions are known for their witty play on words, their fearlessness in the face of contemporary issues, and their unique ability to pull at the heartstrings. As a Māori language advocate, Paraone is also well-known for pioneering the Mahuru Māori movement to promote and normalise the speaking of te reo Māori in daily life.
In He Reo Tawhito, a conversation about Mōteatea with Paraone Gloyne, Paraone describes how, to him, mōteatea brings to mind a special person—his Aunty Uru who nurtured him in te ao Māori, gently guiding him and imparting subtle lessons that he still carries with him today.
Paraone describes his time as a composer under the guidance of kapa haka stalwarts Ngapo and Pimia Wehi, and the potential that was seen in him to retain and re-tell kōrero tuku iho (oral tradition and stories of the past) from a young age.
We also step into the shoes of Paraone as a composer today as he describes the inspiration behind several of his compositions, and we see the tremendous skill that he possesses as a composer—particularly his amazing ability to weave timelines into his lyrics whilst taking the listener and performer on a journey through time, past and present.
We invite you to join Paraone Gloyne and our host Crystal Edwards for this bilingual (te reo Māori and English) conversation about mōteatea that will inspire you to learn, listen, compose, and contribute to the life of this profoundly rich art form.
Host: Crystal Edwards
Guest: Paraone Gloyne
Links & Resources
TE ORIORI O RAUKAWA - E onge āku e
Te Hau ki Tāmaki
Te Tekau mā Rua
Production team
Producers: Toni Huata & Roger Smith
Sound Engineer: Phil Brownlee
Research: Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal
Production Assistance: Ngahuia Maniapoto, Jonathan Engle & Alpana Chovan
Marketing: Leoné Venter
Executive Producer: Diana Marsh
Special thanks to
Paraone Gloyne, Ngahuia Kopa and Te Manawapouhihiri for ‘E onga āku e’, performed by Paraone Gloyne and Ngahuia Kopa, released in 2022
Paraone Gloyne, Te Waka Huia and Māori Television for ‘Te Hau ki Tāmaki’, performed by Te Waka Huia, Te Matatini 2002
Paraone Gloyne, Mōtai Tangata Rau and Māori Television for ‘Te Tekau mā Rua’, performed by Mōtai Tangata Rau, Te Matatini 2015
Thanks to Adrian Wagner and Te Reo Irirangi o Te Upoko o te Ika 1161
Cover Art: Kennedy Kioa Toi Faimanifo of Manatoa Productions
This podcast is supported by funding from Toi Aotearoa | Creative New Zealand, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Recorded Music New Zealand.
© Copyright Centre for New Zealand Music Trust