Trina and Moana Maniapoto of Moana and the Tribe will perform with Paddy Free and Cadzow Cossar at the Royal Wanganui Opera House. Photo / Radar Photography
Moana Maniapoto recently collected the Taite Music Prize Classic Record Award for Tahi - the 1993 album she recorded with Moana and the Moa Hunters.
Together with Teremoana Rapley and Mina Ripia, she fronted a band that made waves around the world.
In a recent interview, Maniapoto said the album
was intended to "Make Māori feel good about being Māori" with songs like the title track Tahi and AEIOU encouraging the use of te reo Māori and their cover of the Sonny and the Checkmates' soul classic Black Pearl promoting strong self-esteem in young women.
"It was our own style of hip-hop and it was unusual at the time to see three young, brown women fronting a big band."
She went on to form Moana and the Tribe in 2002 and with a changing line-up, they have been performing ever since with hundreds of national and international tours under their belts.
