I do in my spiritual sense but not in my day to day sense. Unfortunately I didn't grow up with the language. Mum and Dad's ethos was, "It won't get you a job" which in retrospect is so weird. It's not even about a job - it's about your culture. But I'm lucky because te reo was mum's first language and now that she's living with us she koreros with our kids every day. My daughter Lily is blonde and blue-eyed but her pronunciation is great. In the past there was this oppression of Maori culture but now it really feels like it's blooming and celebrated and part of us all as New Zealanders.
4. What do you think about the New Zealand flag debate?
I can't believe they're spending that much money on it. To me there are way more important things like child poverty. Just keep the current flag.
5. Are you a political person?
To a point. That's part of being a musician, really. It's ironic - musicians and artists are on the bottom rung economically but whenever there's a cause we're the first to be called on to help. Perhaps because music and art can be so unifying. So we have to be careful about taking on too many causes and our message being diluted as a result. For me the TPPA is the big one at the moment. We went on the nationwide march up in Napier recently.
6. Was music a big part of your upbringing? Absolutely, music was our entertainment. My parents would rent a TV just for the winter and then it would go back to the shop and we'd have to make our own fun. We'd have lots of singalongs with Mum on ukulele singing and Dad on guitar humming along. The first song I learnt on guitar was Apache by the Shadows when I was 6. Then I learnt saxophone at Whangarei Boys High. Our parents bought us electric guitars and amplifiers and keyboards even though Dad was a forklift driver and kind of working class.
7. When did you realise music could be your career?
Back in the 80s music wasn't considered a real career option. Fast forward to now and it's absolutely a career. A lot of that has come from a wider social realisation of the value of music. Also in the past the whole business side has been taboo - like artists shouldn't think about money. But I think that's a huge mistake. If someone doing our degree says, "I just want to be a huge rock star and be filthy rich," then that's totally sweet. That's a very specific objective and we can show them how to do that. Motivation is probably more important than talent in a music career.
8. Was it more challenging to teach prison inmates in the first season of Maori TV's Songs from the Inside?
No, it wasn't. Before we went into Rimutaka and Arohata prisons the wardens warned us to be careful about how much information we gave out because we might get associates coming round to our house, so that was a bit of a fear factor. But as soon as we walked into that room and met the brothers and sisters all that worry and concern dissipated. They just looked you in the eye, casing you out, as in "Can I trust you with my stories?" You felt that they were just hungry for knowledge.
9. Why are arts programmes so successful in prisons?
They provide a licence to express yourself. Especially for men who in past generations have been terrible at communicating our feelings. It's, "You alright bro?" "Yeah, I'm okay." Just bottling it all up. Most of the brothers and sisters were able to let go really quickly. People say public speaking is hard but you try singing in public. It's terrifying!
10. Do you still feel terrified when you sing in public?
Yep. Well not terrified, but definitely nerves. It's healthy. The day I don't feel nervous, I should just give up because that's when you get a bit bored and arrogant.
11. You've been living in Featherston for nearly 10 years. Why do you like it there?
I grew up with the outdoors lifestyle and I've always wanted that for my kids. Featherston's only an hour from Wellington so I still keep my finger on the pulse. We've got three generations on the property. I built Mum a beautiful totara kitchen bench for her cottage. I did a building apprenticeship when I was young. It wasn't really my passion but now I appreciate the craftsmanship of it.
12. Do you have farm animals?
We've got a couple of sheep. They're like organic lawnmowers. One might end up in the freezer but we want our kids to know where food actually comes from. There's something really satisfying when you get up in the morning and get freshly laid eggs from your chooks and then pick some tomatoes and basil from the garden. I'm 45 years old and I feel like I'm one of the luckiest people on the planet.
A full scholarship to Massey's Bachelor of Commercial Music is being offered in association with the Vodafone NZ Music Awards: www.massey.ac.nz/musicscholarship
