Aotearoa Music Month: Remembering the revolutionaries of te reo Māori

Hāni Dread will be releasing a waiata to honour the revolutinoaries who fought to revitalise te reo Māori. Photo: Te Rawhitiroa Bosch

Hāni Dread plans to end Aotearoa Music Month on a high note with a new waiata called Kōkiri.

It honours the revolutionaries who fought for te Reo Māori to be an official language of Aotearoa.

Te Whakaruruhau o ngā Reo Irirangi Māori (Iwi Radio Network) helped produce the track, and chairman Peter Lucas Jones says it's a "timely reminder of the gains accomplished from such a monumental event".

"Kōkiri pays tribute to the people who led the march and delivered the Māori language petition containing over 30,000 plus signatures to Parliament on 14 September 1972."

Among the people who fought for the revitalisation of te reo was Tame Iti who was part of activist group Nga Tamatoa.

Mother of Che Fu, Miriama Ruhihi-Ness, who died in March, was also pivotal in the revitalisation of te reo.

"Because of their mahi, there are now generations of Māori who have grown up in a world where te Reo Māori exists," Lucas Jones said.

Kōkiri features deep reggae grooves that morph into funk and soul vibes as a nod to the 70s and the significant milestones of the era.

Dread hopes that the waiata also recognises the efforts of fellow NZ musicians like Tama Waipara, Maisey Rika, Ria Hall, Majic Paora and Rob Ruha, who all use te reo in their music.

Kōkiri releases nationwide on Monday, May 31.