A video of Kaikohe schoolchildren singing a te reo version of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah for Prime Minister John Key has gone viral.
The video clip, on the Advocate's Facebook page, had been viewed 71,936 times as of 5pm on Friday, June 28. It had been shared 566 times and attracted 805 ''likes'' as well as 173 comments from as far away as the USA and UK.
The Kaikohe Intermediate pupils had been invited to sing at a Kaikohe Business Association meeting with Mr Key and Northland MP Mike Sabin, organised by councillor Sally Macauley. It was held at Te Runanga-a-iwi o Ngapuhi's offices on June 20 with the video posted that evening.
Kaikohe Intermediate principal Joey Rogers, who accompanied the singers on guitar, arranged the song herself and is constantly tweaking it to keep whanau on their toes.
The Maori lyrics to Hareruia were penned by Ms Rogers' nephew, Rev Te Hira Paenga, who is of Ngati Porou and Ngapuhi descent. Mr Paenga, now the assistant principal and head of Maori at Hato Petera College, was teaching at Auckland Girls' Grammar at the time.