Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Waiata Māori Music Awards showcase the best of Māori talent

By Astrid Austin
Hawkes Bay Today·
25 Aug, 2019 06:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre, pictured at last year's Waiata Māori Music Awards in Hawke's Bay. Photo / File

Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre, pictured at last year's Waiata Māori Music Awards in Hawke's Bay. Photo / File

Tama Huata may have died, but his spirit lives on in the Waiata Māori Music Awards next month.

It has been four years since the death of Huata, of Ngāti Kahungunu, the man at the forefront of Māori performing arts, and a visionary.

In 2007, Huata launched the concept at a gala event in Palmerston North.

In 2015, his eldest daughter, Ellison Huata, took over his role as executive director.
She accepted the top job "with great honor", but also with a "heavy heart".

But to her, it was what her father would have wanted. It was important to ensure the future of the awards.

She has been prepared for the role, working closely with her father for the past six years on the awards and other performing arts events.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was a very, very big loss. He could do things with his eyes closed. And that was something that I definitely learned.

She says he taught his family how to "think outside the box".

"You have to be open-minded to be able to see these things and find those opportunities for our people to continue the growth, nationally and internationally.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It took some time, but here we are today and we're still able to achieve and deliver and to share with our people the gift of what was left behind for us," Ellison said.

The annual awards take place in September and incorporate four major events over two days, including the Māori Music Symposium, Māori Music Celebrity Breakfast, and Waiata Māori Music Awards Ceremony.

The Hastings-originated event, now in its 12th year, is growing all the time, Ellison says.

"It's definitely a milestone and it is something that is ongoing. For me, it is an honour, because it is for our people, and it's definitely is fitting that our people strive to be a part of these awards as it's for our people that we continue to do this for."

Discover more

Remote Hawke's Bay beach gets cellphone tower

22 Aug 02:15 AM
New Zealand

Huge Hawke's Bay packhouse to be built by Rockit Global

22 Aug 02:29 AM
New Zealand

Napier cafe review stoush: Chef calls for face-to-face feedback

22 Aug 10:09 PM

Things to do in Hawke's Bay this weekend

23 Aug 06:00 PM

The awards "celebrate excellence in Māori music and acknowledge and honour the keepers, teachers, promoters, creators, and performers of Māori music".

There are four awards acknowledging the career contributions of respected musicians from Māoridom: Trevor Horowaewae Maxwell - Keeper of Tradition (Kaitiaki Tikanga Pūoru); Abe Phillips - Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music (Mauriora o Te Ao Pūoru Māori); Pixie Williams - Lifetime Contribution to Māori Music (Mauriora o Te Ao Pūoru Māori); and Jarrod Huirama - Music Industry Award (Ahumahi Pūoru).

Ellison said they "represent the highest achievement in their fields from composition to performance and production".

• The Waiata Māori Music Awards will be presented at a red-carpet extravaganza ceremony at Club Hastings on Friday, September 13. Tickets are available from iTicket
The ceremony will be livestreamed on Waiata Māori Music Awards Facebook and broadcast live by Awards media partner Radio Kahungunu.

Waiata Māori Music Awards Finalists 2019

Best Māori Female Solo Artist
• Amba Holly
• Theia
• La Coco
• JaLeace

Best Māori Male Solo Artist
• Tipene
• Israel Starr
• PERE

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Best Traditional Album Te Reo Māori
• Te Kākano – Te Kākano
• Grove Roots – Waka
• Maaka Fiso – Ngaro

Best Māori Pop Album
• L.A.B. – L.A.B. II
• Te Kākano – Te Kākano
• Tipene – Tautoko

Best Māori Urban Rap/Hiphop/RnB Album
•Tipene – Tautoko
• Grove Roots – Waka
• Rugged and Wylde – The King and the Chief

Best Māori Urban Roots Album
• Grove Roots – Waka
• NLC – Know Your Roots

Best Song by a Māori Artist
• Katchafire – Fyah In The Trenches
• Te Kākano – Tōrea
• L.A.B. – L.A.B. II
• RunTingz Family – Runtingz Anthem

Best Māori Songwriter
• Katchafire
• L.A.B.
• Te Kākano
• Amba Holly

Best Music Video by a Māori Artist
• Grove Roots – Aotearoa
• L.A.B. – Baby Will You Let Me
• Tipene – Nanny's House
• La Coco – Back When
• Theia – Candy

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Felt right across the district': Police name victim of fatal railway track crash

01 Jul 03:33 AM
Hawkes Bay TodayUpdated

Watch: 'I left my fingernails in the steering wheel' - van driver's risky overtake

01 Jul 01:42 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Watch as overtake manoeuvre goes wrong on State Highway 2 near Wairoa

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Felt right across the district': Police name victim of fatal railway track crash

'Felt right across the district': Police name victim of fatal railway track crash

01 Jul 03:33 AM

'Amberlee was part of our Pukeora Family and will be missed by all of us here.'

Watch: 'I left my fingernails in the steering wheel' - van driver's risky overtake

Watch: 'I left my fingernails in the steering wheel' - van driver's risky overtake

01 Jul 01:42 AM
Watch as overtake manoeuvre goes wrong on State Highway 2 near Wairoa

Watch as overtake manoeuvre goes wrong on State Highway 2 near Wairoa

The city doing 'street soup' in its CBD over winter

The city doing 'street soup' in its CBD over winter

30 Jun 11:09 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP