Kāhu ki Rotorua: Songstress dreams of career on Broadway

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Rehua ki runga, Tiana ki te whenua

Ko Rehua ki te rangi ko Tiana Hunter ki te whenua.

Ko ngā mahi a Rehia te pou kaiawha o te whare e whakahīhī ai te manawa o Tiana Hunter.

Nōna hoki e whakangungu ana mō te tūnga matua mō te whakaari a Legally Blonde – The Musical ki te kura matua o ngā kōhine e whakaari kau ana hoki ia i te kaupapa o 8 Scott Ave, The Sequel. Mā te aha i tēnā,ko te pae tawhiti mōna ki a tu whakaari ai ia ki Broadway ki te Taha Uru o Rānana.

He ahakoa tēnei moemoeā nui kai te titiro hoki tona manawa ki te Ōpērā ki a tū waiata ia ki ngā tiata matua o Tiamana me Ītārī. He kotahi tekau ma whitu te rahi o Tiana Parehuia Mako Hunter. He pikituranga ia ki te kura o Rautawhiri.Nō Ngāti Whakaue, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu me Te Wairoa ōna kāwai.

I whānau a Tiana i Rotorua engari ko tōna wāhi whakahirahira ko te ūkaipō o tōna matua wahine ko Te Wairoa.Nōnā e itiiti ai ka nanao atu tōna manawa pakiki ki ngā mahi a Rehia. Ko te ako kanikani me te ako waiata hoki ētehi o āna mahi whakapakari i ōna pukenga whakaari.

Wheoi anō nō ngā tau tata tonu nei ko tahuri ia ki ngā mahi tiata.Nō te tau ko pahemo ka whakawhiwhia e ia ki te taonga whakaari a Vigor-Brown. Mō āna mahi rangatira i kitea e ngā pouako o te kaupapa rangatahi Accelerando i tū i ngā rā whakangā o te kura.

Tiana Hunter during a performance at Opera in The Pa.

' Kai ngā tau whakamutunga o te kura ka tāhuri noa ahau ki te whakaari, he waimarie i riro i a au te tūranga matua mō te kaupapa In The Heights, he whakaari i tū ki te kura o Raukura, nā, ko te kaupapa Legally Blonde – The Musical ki te kura o ngā Kōhine o Rotorua, kai ahau hoki tēnā turanga matua. Nōku te maringi nui’.Atu i ēnei kaupapa nui, kai te whkaharatau hoki ia i tōna reo waiata.

Kātahi te mahi nui hoki ko tēnei. He āta ako me pēwhea te tiaki me te whakakaha i te korokoro ki a rere taku aku tatangi nōku e waiata ana.’ Tēnei momo kaupapa ko te ako waiata me he nama taumaha hoki e hika mā.

Me i kore taku karahipi kua hemo noa atu ahau.E hoki ana ngā maharatanga nōku e itiiti ai, ko taku moemoeā nui ko te tū whakaari ai, ināianei e puare ana ngā tatau o tēnei ao ki ahau’.

Atu i ēnei ko te whakakaha hoki i tana reo taketake he mea nui ki a Tiana.’ He ahakoa pō – ao he huarahi mutunga kore te ako. Ka pā mai te whakamā ki ahau i taku kūware kai ētehi wā, engari mā te ūpoko mārō e tutuki ai tēnei hiahia ōku’.

He whakamihi hoki nāna ki ngā tini tangata. ' Engari ko te mihi nui kai a koe kai tōku matua wahine.

Te toka tū moana, ākina ngaru, ākinga ngaru tūātea. E titiro pae tawhiti ana tōna manawa ki ngā tiata whakahirahira o Tiamana me Ītārī ko te mahunga kai te huarahi e anga kaha nei ki ngā mahi ā kura. Mā te mātauranga e kaha ake ai ōku paihau ki te kawe i taku manawa ki matahauariki’.

English Translation

Music and the performing arts seem to have taken over the life of Tiana Hunter.

Even while in rehearsal for the lead in the Rotorua Girls’ High School production of Legally Blonde, The Musical she was performing on stage in 8 Scott Ave, The Sequel.

But that’s okay because the Rotorua teen dreams of a future on stage as a performer on Broadway or the West End of London. She also hasn’t ruled out a career in opera, singing in theatres in Germany and Italy.

Tiana Parehuia Mako Hunter is 17 and Deputy Head Girl at Rautawhiri. She has whakapapa to Ngati Whakaue, Tuwharetoa and Ngati Kahungunu Ki Wairoa.

She was born in Rotorua and has lived all her life but one of her favourite places to visit is Wairoa, her mother’s ukaipo.

Tiana has been taking dance classes and singing lessons since she was little but in the past two years, she began to do productions.

Last year she was awarded the Vigor-Brown Trophy for outstanding intermediate student in the Accelerando rangatahi holiday performance programme.

“In my last two years of high school I began to do productions. I had a lead role in a Rotorua Boys High School production of In the Heights and now having the lead role in Legally Blonde, The Musical by Rotorua Girls High School.”

If that’s not enough, Tiana has also been doing classical operatic training and developing vocally.

It has required a lot of training vocally, learning new techniques and developing my own sound when it comes to singing.

“Vocal lessons can be very expensive, but I have been lucky enough to be gifted scholarship money to help cover the costs.

Tiana Hunter is looking for a future on the stages of the world.

“I’ve always wanted to perform in stage shows since I was young, so to be a part of them now is an unreal experience that I am forever grateful for.”

One item on Tiana’s to-do list is learning te reo.

“It is a continuous journey of mine. I am whakama at times of how little I know but my nature would not want me to give up, so I persevere to learn more.”

Tiana says she has many people to thank for helping her on her journey.

“But most of all I am grateful to my mother.

“She is my rock and has always supported me to pursue my passions. She is my why and inspiration.”

While Tiana dreams of shows on Broadway and in the West End as well opera in Germany and Italy, for now her focus is on her education.

“My future looks like furthering my education in the arts and developing my skills, to hopefully going overseas to perform and continue my passions.”