He Aha Kei Taku Uma

Ko ngā kōrero e whai ake nei he mea kapo ake i te pukapuka Ngaa Waiata, he kohinga waiata nō roto mai i te rohe o Tainui. Hei tā te kōrero i titoa te waiata nei e Maarama Moturara rāua ko Tata Te Aira Muru, i te matenga o tō Maarama kuia, o Hera Astle, ka hinga i te tau 1928. I Te Paina, Mercer (Te Pou o Mangataawhiri) rātou e noho ana i taua wā rā.

The following account was cited in Ngaa Waiata a collection of waiata from the Tainui region, stating that Maarama Motutara and Tata Te Aira Muru wrote the song after the death of Maarama’s grandmother (Hera Astle) who passed away in 1928. The whānau was based at Te Paina, Mercer (Te Pou o Mangataawhiri) at the time the song was written.