Two of Aotearoa’s “modern heroes”, Dame Hinewehi Mohi (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe) and Tāme Iti (Ngāi Tūhoe, Waikato), are set to be celebrated in a fun-filled two-part special Whakanuia – Celebrating Aotearoa Icons on Whakaata Māori starting this week.
Whakanuia celebrates “the life and times of two very different New Zealanders who have left indelible marks on the cultural fabric of Aotearoa”.
On Wednesday, in part one, the show’s red carpet is rolled out for Dame Hinewehi - singer, producer, reo Māori advocate, icon, trailblazer, and recent inductee into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
“With courage, love and determination Dame Hinewehi Mohi has left her mark on Aotearoa and how we sing our national anthem,” a Whakaata Māori release says.
“Most people will remember Dame Hinewehi as the person who sang the national anthem in te reo Māori – without prior permission from organisers – at the 1999 Rugby World Cup in England,” says the show’s MC, Julian Wilcox.
“But we discover through this programme that she is so much more than just that one moment.”
As special guest Matai Smith describes her, “she’s a Dame changer!”
Joining Dame Hinewehi on the special are also Maisey Rika, Six60′s Marlon Gerbes and Chris Mac, Bic Runga, friends and whānau.
In part two, the following week, Tāme Iti - “warrior, activist, artist, DJ, leader, creative icon” - is given the star treatment.
“Many New Zealanders will likely only know Tāme Iti as the guy who fired a shotgun into a New Zealand flag, or one of those arrested as part of the Tūhoe raids,” says Wilcox.
“But again, there is so much more to the man.”
Iti is an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi laureate, celebrated as one of Aotearoa’s most outstanding practising artists.
In September, he features in the musical Voices in the Shadows, a blend of traditional waiata, dance and poetry that looks to unite Māori, Pacific and Palestinian cultures, at Rotorua’s Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival.
In part two of Whakanuia, actor Cliff Curtis recalls seeing the arc of Iti’s journey from filming in Tūhoe to being a “celebrity in Ponsonby”.
Special guests include Troy Kingi, Cliff Curtis, Turia Schmidt-Peke, Willie Jackson, Mike King and James Mustapic.
Filmed in front of a live audience, Whakanuia features celebrity guests, a house band and entertaining video interviews, all focused on recognising what these two Māori icons have achieved for Aotearoa.
Dame Hinewehi Mohi, Wednesday 28 August, 7.30pm. (Part one)
Tāme Iti, Wednesday 4 September, 7.30pm. (Part two)
Whakanuia – Celebrating Aotearoa Icons two-part special on Whakaata Māori and Māori+