He Putiputi Koe

I whānau mai a Tā Apirana Turupa Ngata i te 3 o Hūrae i te tau 1874. He toki ki ngā mahi tōrangapū, he kākā tarahae mō te iwi, he tohunga ki te whakatakoto whakaaro me te whakairo i te kupu. 

Nā Apirana tēnei mahi, arā ko te tūhono i ngā whakaaro me ngā kupu Māori ki ngā rangi o ngā waiata rongonui o te wā. Nā, e ū tonu ana te Māori ki tēnei mahi i ēnei wā tonu nei.

I titoa e Apirana te waiata nei i te whare Māori i Waiomatatini, i te rohe o Waiapu i te takiwā o ngā tau 1925-1926. I tīkina mai ko te rangi me ngā kupu Pākehā o te waiata ‘You’re Just A Flower From An Old Bouquet’ nā Lucien rāua ko Gwynne Denni i tito. 

Ka whakaurua rā ko āna kupu Māori, ko tana wairua Māori, ka puta ko te waiata nei, ko ‘He Putiputi Koe’.  

I ākona tuatahihia ngā kairaranga me ngā kaiwhakairo o tana whare i Waiomatatini ki te waiata nei. Nō te tau 1936 ka haria e Ngāti Pōneke ki roto o Waitara ki te hui whakanui i te whakatuwheratanga o te whare o Te Ikaroa-a-Māui, i te tau 1936. Ki konā horapa ai ki te motu whānui. 

Sir Apirana Turupa Ngata was born on July 3, 1874. He was a visionary Māori leader, scholar and politician who dedicated his life to advancing the rights and well-being of the Māori people. He was a weaver of words and of people, well versed in the art of integrating the Māori language with the popular tunes of the day.  

Sir Apirana composed this waiata in The Bungalow (family homestead) at Waiomatatini, in the Waiapu region during the years 1925-1926. The melody and lyrics were inspired by ‘You’re Just A Flower From An Old Bouquet’ composed by Lucien and Gwynne Denni. The weavers and carvers of the meeting house at Waiomatatini were the first to be taught this song.

Wellington-based kapa haka, Ngāti Pōneke, took it to Waitara to celebrate the opening of Te Ikaroa-a-Māui house in 1936, and was subsequently popularised throughout the country.