One of my favourite memorable moments on my reo Māori journey was the first time I understood a waiata whilst randomly listening to music in the car.
It was one of those "ah-ha!" moments.
I was driving with my son, listening to a waiata Māori playlist for tamariki. The song came on and I knew the tune, but once it started I realised I knew the words...and what the song was about!
That song was He Aha Ngā Tae—a simple children's song about colors and everyday objects. Because of my language learning progress, I could follow along and understand the words, and that moment gave me a huge boost of confidence.
How Waiata Help with Language Learning
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Pronunciation & Intonation – Singing helps reinforce correct pronunciation and rhythm. If you've beens struggling with pronunciation, locking in on how words are pronounced in songs can be a huge help.
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Vocabulary & Phrases – Learning words and sentence structures in the context of a song can them easier to remember.
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Memory & Retention – Music creates obvious language patterns in the brain that help solidify what you've been learning (just be careful you don't get the lines mixed and end up on a Misheard Lyrics meme! 😁
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Cultural Connection – Waiata carry history, knowledge, values, and traditions, helping to deepen your understanding of te ao Māori.
Types of Waiata (that you can learn from)
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Traditional Waiata – Mōteatea, oriori (lullabies), and haka.
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Modern Māori Songs – Contemporary waiata.
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Bilingual Songs – Waiata that transition between English and Māori.
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Children’s Songs & Kapa Haka – Fun, repetitive, and ideal for all ages (especially new adult learners), just like He Aha Ngā Tae.
How to Use Waiata in Your Learning Journey
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Sing Along Regularly
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Learn the Meaning
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Use Waiata as Listening Practice
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Join a Kapa Haka or Waiata Group
Recommended Waiata to Get Started
There are heapssss of waiata that you could get started on. One of my go-to sites for waiata Māori is the NZ Folk Songs website. You can check it out here - https://www.folksong.org.nz/waiata.html
Final Thoughts
Waiata are a powerful tool in learning te reo Māori, helping with pronunciation, vocabulary, and cultural connection.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to pick a waiata and learn it this week. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or challenging. Start small and build from there.
Te Ukaipo Update
Our group is back into full swing now that 2025 is well underway. Our kapahaka practice is seeing new people turn up every week, ready and willing to learn. This has also translated to lots of new member sign-ups which is fantastic to see. The more people we can reach, the more influence we can have!
In our Welfare space, today we ran our first "Rangatahi Connect" program for 2025. This offered a culturally safe space for our rangatahi to come and engage in a range of confidence building exercises within the framework of Te Whare Tapawha. We are blessed to have an extremely experienced mental health and youth worker in our volunteer group that dedicates his time to running these sorts of programs.
In our Social space, this afternoon we hosted a private viewing of Moana (the reo Māori version) at a local hall for families...popcorn and all! This is one of the many initiatives we have planned for the year.
Manaaki Membership
Kia ora!
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For less than the price of a small coffee, your monthly contribution provides you with YouTube-specific member perks including:
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Thanks for reading this week's Newsletter.
Mauri ora!
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