Rotorua teen singer Nikau Grace releases bilingual song about Kawerau

Nikau Grace has launched a new song that hopes to inspire other young people to battle the odds.

Some might have thought the odds were stacked against Rotorua singer and songwriter Nikau Grace to achieve her dreams. But through her new song, she hopes to inspire others that no matter where they come from or what hurdles they might face, they should “keep that flame alight”. Kelly Makiha talks to the rising star about her new song and how she’s not let her learning difficulties be a barrier.

Nikau Grace is only 16 but she has written a love song. It’s about her hometown of Kawerau.

While her passion for the town is real, she knows it’s a place where some people do it hard.

Rapua Te Mea Ngaro hopes to inspire young people from places such as Kawerau that their dreams can be real no matter where they’re from.

Nikau Grace has just released a new song, Rapua Te Mea Ngaro, as part of Waiata Anthems.

The bilingual crossover pop song repeats the catchline: “Keep that flame alight”.

Grace is testimony to the meaning of her song. Growing up in Kawerau, she discovered at a young age she had dyslexia - a reading and writing learning disorder.

Now living in Rotorua for her schooling, where she is a Year 12 Rotorua Girls’ High School student, she has learned new strategies to cope with it.

“In primary school, kids can be mean and I had the mindset that I was stupid, not that I learnt in a different way.”

Nikau Grace hasn't let her dyslexia be a barrier to her success.

Grace beat those odds, thanks to what her mother, Rachel Chater, said was “phenomenal” support from Rotorua Girls’ High.

Chater said her daughter achieved second place in Year 11 creative English last year.

“This is a kid that really struggled,” Chater said.

“They have embraced her way of doing things and it means she has done well. They have dealt with it and supported her to excel.”

Nikau Grace has released a new song.

Grace said her other abilities, such as her memory, were heightened despite her reading and writing still being a struggle.

She could listen to a song two or three times and “have it down” whereas others might take much longer to learn it.

Rotorua singer Nikau Grace’s latest song

The release of Rapua Te Mea Ngaro is part of the Waiata Anthems Taumata programme which has seen nine songs released throughout September, or Mahuru Māori (the fourth month of the Māori calendar).

Grace and the others involved in the programme have spent this year workshopping, writing and having small documentaries filmed about their musical journeys.

Dame Hinewehi Mohi created Waiata Anthems - a music industry-wide initiative to grow streaming and broadcasting of Māori songs - in 2019. Te Māngai Pāho, Creative New Zealand, Apra Amcos, NZ Music Commission, and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori fund it.

Nikau Grace has written a song about her love of hometown Kawerau and beating the odds.

Grace’s documentary and song were released as part of the programme today.

In her documentary, Grace returns to Kawerau to spend time with children at Kawerau Pūtauaki School, where her mother is principal, to encourage them to dream big and take pride.

“It is about the flame you have inside you that some people try to snuff out. But it’s your job to keep it burning. It’s a song about defying the odds ... I want them to have a sense of positivity. They have the talent and the passion and they can do things no matter where you come from.”

Where to now for Nikau Grace?

Her future depends on whether Grace can “pull a Lorde and become famous overnight”.

Either way, she wants to continue to insert herself as much as possible into the music scene with her performing and songwriting.

She said she would finish her schooling at Rotorua Girls’ High next year before pursuing a total immersion te reo Māori course.

She also wants to pursue undergraduate study with a degree in music and possibly psychology.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.