Palmerston North musicians Dave Iwikau and Amy Hunt appear in feature film 1978

Palmerston North musicians Dave Iwikau and Amy Hunt have found a wide audience for their arrangement of a Kiwi classic. Photo / Supplied

A Palmy musical duo has been chosen to perform Pōkarekare Ana, sometimes referred to as New Zealand's national anthem, in a movie about a defining period in the nation's history.

Dave Iwikau and Amy Hunt's modern arrangement of the Māori love song, posted on YouTube, was spotted by Kiwi filmmaker Isaac Lee. He invited the duo to be part of his feature film 1978.

The film is about country kids using whatever means necessary to save their country school from closure while their older siblings do the same to keep their sacred lands during the historic land protests of 1978 - in particular Bastion Point.

Mark Hadlow, Amy Hunt and Dave Iwikau on the set of 1978. Photo / Supplied

Iwikau and Hunt spent a day filming in Wairarapa and got to be part of the moving farewell scene, performing Pōkarekare Ana in a scene starring Mark Hadlow.

Hadlow is one of New Zealand's most well-known actors. He appeared at Centrepoint Theatre last year in Roger Hall's Winding Up and was in Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films and King Kong.

"We felt really lucky to be part of it all working with people who have been doing it for so long," Hunt says.

Doing the movie has given them a boost letting them know their work is well received. Lee was looking for a stirring song and moving people is what they like to do, she says.

Iwikau says hearing Lee's story was inspirational; he's also a musician and has five children - Iwikau has three and is a probation officer by day and musician by night.

Lee reinforced it's very hard to get traction in the entertainment industry but also encouraged the duo to keep pushing themselves. Iwikau says he came back with a lot of energy to start recording.

Driving to filming, Iwikau and Hunt were asked to also sing When The Rainbow Sang in the Tea Tree in the background of a scene.

The Pōkarekare Ana video was shot at Castlepoint and the Manawatū Gorge by Hunt's brother Jared Hunt of Hunt Photography. Amy says it celebrates their culture and intertwines their connection to music and our stunning landscape.

Iwikau did the mixing himself in their lounge and used layering to make guitar and voice sound like an orchestra.

Hunt has 20-plus years' experience in musical theatre in roles such as Tanya in
Mamma Mia and Mary Robert in Sister Act. She plays Killer Queen in Act Three's We Will Rock You, which resumes on February 2. The mother of three runs the community choir Six to Sixty.

Video also brought Iwikau and Hunt together, first professionally and then personally. Musicians in the same city for 18 years, they had never met until Hunt saw a video of Iwikau's solo instrumental version of O Holy Night. Hunt asked if he wanted to collaborate.

She felt she'd been doing the same thing for so many years and wanted something new and fresh. Until now she had not been able to find the right person to help drive her to record something different.

Iwikau says he knew they had a musical connection right from when he started to play his guitar and Hunt sang.

Last year, the duo performed the National Anthem for the Farah Palmer Cup championship final and at the Mayor's Community Christmas Party.

This year, Hunt and Iwikau hope to do more live performances and write more original songs.

1978 will be released next summer.