Waitangi Day 2026: Opera will commemorate renaissance of te reo Māori

Tenor Andrew Grenon. Photo / Etta Images

Tenor Andrew Grenon and mezzo-soprano Elisha Fa’i So’oialo will perform a version of Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, fully translated into te reo Māori, at a dinner event hosted by the Waitangi National Trust and Global Women of the North on Wednesday, February 4, as part of this year’s Waitangi Day celebrations.

The aria, which has been translated into te reo for the event by Kawiti Waetford, will combine opera and te ao Māori in a way that, according to Grenon, celebrates the renaissance of te reo Māori.

“We had to think deeply about what we can do in terms of the important role we have in the protection of te reo Māori as a taonga of our nation of Aotearoa New Zealand. And how we present this to the world through opera,” Grenon said.

“I think bringing it into as many art forms as possible, including the one that I know and love as an important part of it. It’s high art.”

Grenon, who is Pākehā, said te reo Māori was a natural fit for opera as the language is “much better for singing than English”.

“It’s more like Italian than English, in terms of its vowels. And Italian is an ideal singing language because there’s so few interruptions to the sound,” he said.

The performance has been arranged to be a duet rather than a solo song.

“That’s how we’re making this a special and unique performance for this event.

“I think this celebrates te reo Māori in an appropriate way while being a high-level operatic performance.”

The event is being hosted as a celebration of Māori economy. A report released last year by Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment & BERL reported that the Māori asset base has grown from $69 billion in 2018 to $126 billion in 2023 and contributes 8.9% to GDP.

It will be presented by former Prime Minister Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley and Chair of the Waitangi National Trust Tania Simpson.

The Waitangi National Trust’s resident kapa haka rōpū, Te Pito Whenua, will also perform for guests at the dinner, which include iwi and hapū leaders and Māori and non-Māori business leaders.

ANZ is a principal sponsor of the event and says the performance reflects the company’s kaupapa.

“This performance ties together the worlds of Māori and opera and shows the power of te reo to connect cultures and people. And in doing so, reflects the distinct qualities that make the Māori economy so exceptional.

“It serves to highlight the unique journey, strengths and achievements that set the Māori economy apart,” Karleen Everitt, ANZ NZ’s Head of Te Ao Māori Strategy, said.

“My tupuna saw beyond the horizons, the coming together of cultures and people where we could all thrive together.

“It’s an important message to reflect on as we gather in Waitangi and look to the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.”