This ANZAC Day marks the first in Aotearoa without a living member of Te Hokowhitu a Tū, following the passing of Tā Rāpata Nairn ‘Bom’ Gillies in November.

He Aha Te Aha, the latest bilingual release from Waiata Anthems, is a powerful tribute to the legacy and sacrifice of the 28th Māori Battalion and to ‘Koro Bom’ Gillies, the last surviving member of Te Hokowhitu a Tū.

Kereama Wright of Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue says they feel the weight of this loss leading up to ANZAC Day.

“Kei te tino rongohia tōna korenga i te kainamutanga mai o te rā o Tūmatauenga,”

“Ko tētahi o ngā kōrero kei te rae tonu o ngā whakaaro i tēnei wā, kia mau ki te aroha. Koirā te kaupapa i kawea e mātau ki roto o Taranaki ki Te Matatini, kia poua te aroha.”

Tā Bom Gillies was a stalwart of Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue, recently crowned champions of Te Matatini. The kapa dedicated their winning performance in Taranaki to the beloved mōrehu.

“Koia tētahi i haere mai ki wā mātau haratau ki te tuku kōrero akiaki, ki te tuku kupu whakaaweawe i a mātau,” Wright says.

“Koia hoki te kaupapa, [kia] kite te ao i te hautoa o tēnei koroua noho whakaiti, engari i runga hoki i te mōhio kua kotahi katoa tātau i te korenga o te 28 i tēnei wā.”

He tōai i ngā kōrero tuku iho a Tā Bom Gillies

Me te aha, ko te korokoro tūī o Ngāti Whakaue, ko Nikau Grace Chater tērā e arahi nei i tēnei tira.

“I have my own personal connection to the Māori Battalion - my great great grandfather - my koro was actually in [B Company] with Koro Bom. [ANZAC has] always been a very important thing in my whānau,” te kī a Chater.

Ko te kiritata a Tā Bom, ko Tākuta Jeremy Tātere MacLeod tonu te mātanga reo mō tēnei waiata, ā, ko te kaiwaiata a Kings te kaiwhakaputa.

Ko te taitara o tēnei waiata, He Aha Te Aha, e tōai tonu nei i ngā kōrero a Koro Bom mō ana wheako i te pae o te riri - ‘kia mau ki te rongomau, hei aha te pakanga’.

“Mehemea ia i whai kōwhiringa anō [ā ia], kua kore rawa ia e haere ki te pakanga nā runga i te āhua o tā te Kāwanatanga takahi tonu i a ngāi Māori i tō rātau hokinga mai ki Aotearoa. Anā, kei te rongo tonu tātau i tērā āhuatanga i tēnei wā,” te kī a Wright.

Chater is just 17 years-old, and encourages her own generation to reflect on the history of their ancestors.

“Māori soldiers went overseas to fight for equality and for their rights and they thought they’d come back as equal - and they came back even worse,” she adds.

Chater says this tribute is more than just a song, and has laid down the challenge to listeners.

“This song is a wero to everyone - not just Māori - but to everyone, to really keep fighting to make sure that their loss and their sacrifice was not in vain.”

Wright, who spent many years learning from Tā Bom, believes one of his final wishes was for Māori to continue championing their mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga.

“Ka noho tonu tērā haepapa, tērā kawenga ki runga ki a tātau ki ngā uri whakaheke.”

This song is available on all music streaming platforms nationwide.