Tomo Mai

I whānau a Henare Waitoa i Te Araroa i te 13 o Āperira, i te tau 1910. Ko ōna mātua ko Wi Paraire Rangihuna rāua ko Te Wai Nēpia nō roto mai o Nūkaha.

Ko te whai ake nei he mea tuhi e Ngarimu Parata mō ‘Tomo mai’ - i titoa i te tau 1946

Ko te rangi Pākehā ko ‘Goldmine In The Sky’.

I titoa te waiata nei i runga i te whakahau a Tā Apirana Ngata kia whakaritea e Henare Waitoa me te kapa o Ngāti Putaanga tētahi waiata hai whakanui i ngā hōia i hōnea mai i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao. I tū te hui ki te Gaiety Theatre, ki Ruatōrea i te tau 1946,  ko Peta Awatere te kākākura nāna ngā mōrehu i arahi mai. 

Na, i tētahi rangi i a Henare e tope mānuka ana i te taha o tana taokete, a Maru Karaka, he tungāne ki tana hoa rangatira, ki a Amiria Te Atamira ‘Minnie’ Waitoa. I rongo a Maru i a Henare e tānguruguru ana i te rangi o te waiata nei ka kuhu atu ia ki roto ki te putu peka. Ka whiua e Henare te patai “E tama he aha te kōrero mōu i tika rere mai ki a au i waenganui i te putu peka?” ko te whakahoki a Maru, “E tama i tomo mai”. Ka takoto tana toki, ā ka kuhu atu a Henare i tana whare, auianake i te ata kua tau i a ia ngā kupu o te waiata nei, o ‘Tomo mai.’ I taua pō tonu rā ka waiatatia te waiata hei pōhiri i ngā hōia.

Henare Waitoa was born in Te Araroa on April 13, 1910. His parents were Wi Paraire Rangihuna and Te Wai Nepia from Nūkaha. The following is a piece written by Ngarimu Parata for 'Tomo mai,' composed in 1946, with the English title 'Goldmine In The Sky.' This song was composed at the direction of Sir Apirana Ngata for Henare Waitoa and the Ngāti Putaanga group to celebrate the soldiers who returned from World War II. The gathering took place at the Gaiety Theatre in Ruatōrea in 1946, with Peta Awatere leading the surviving soldiers. One day, while Henare was cutting brushwood with Maru Karaka, brother of his wife Amiria Te Atamira 'Minnie' Waitoa, Maru overheard Henare humming the tune of the song as he entered the bush. Henare asked the question; "What's the correct response when I call out in the bush?" Maru replied, "E tama i tomo mai”. Henare laid down his axe, he entered his house to finish writing his song. By morning, he had the lyrics of the song 'Tomo Mai’ they practiced that morning and it was first performed that very night, to welcome home the soldiers.