The newest Reo Māori anthem, created for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, is planned to further cement the poi, as a symbol of empowerment for wāhine, on a global stage.
Written and performed by Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Whakatōhea descendant, Makayla Purcell Mainini, in collaboration with Dame Hinewehi Mohi, and Tā Timoti Karetu, Poi Tukua, is set to be a support beacon for this year's world cup, and is being unveiled today.
Singer/songwriter Makayla Purcell-Mainini says the experience is one she has taken in her stride and is proud to have accomplished.
She says, “I love being able to share the reo with our tamariki, our rangatahi and also anybody keen on learning the reo, or even just somebody who doesn't really know about it too much. It's a really fun way of teaching everybody about our culture.”
Working in collaboration with Tā Timoti Karetu and Dame Hinewehi Mohi, Purcell-Mainini composed the waiata as a symbol of Mana wahine and everything a wahine is able to accomplish no matter the task at hand.
“When I was first given this opportunity, I was asked by John Reilly Six60's manager, he said that Whaea Hinewehi wanted me to write a song for the FIFA Womens World Cup. That got me shaking in my boots a bit, because I don't have a connection to football itself. It's not really a big thing here in Aotearoa, at that time at least.
'Empowering our wāhine'
"So I said 'yeah, I'm so up for this challenge, I love challenges and I love pushing through them,' so when I was given this opportunity I sat down and grounded myself, and thought, 'actually it is very important to share the message of encouraging our wahine and empowering our wāhine'.”
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Purcell-Mainini grew up in Flaxmere in Hawke’s Bay and, although attending Te Kura o Mangateretere in Hastings, her ultimate goal is to further her reo and become fluent. But working alongside Te Ao Māori stalwarts and gathering Te Ao Māori concepts from them has helped push her waiata to the world.
“Writing the waiata was an absolute honour. I had Whaea Hinewehi and Sir Timoti give me a bunch of Māori concepts to do with women empowerment and our wahine and warriors as well. So I chose a few and put it into this waiata with Jai and Dan Martin, and that was awesome. The vibes are definitely in the song and that's what we felt in the room.”
She says she has become accustomed to traversing through both Māori and Pākehā worlds, and she hopes that one day both worlds will live together harmoniously.
“It means everything to me. I've always found that I can step into both Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā. And I'm trying to use that as an advantage to create a bridge between the two. So to be able to push my waiata and my music globally and represent our culture as well is really important to me,” she says.
The first game for the FIFA Womens World Cup begins this coming Thursday at 7pm, when New Zealand will kick off against Norway at Eden Park.
