Toro Mai

I whānau a Tā Kīngi Īhaka ki Te Kao i te 18 o Oketopa i te tau 1921. He whītiki o te kī, he iho pūmanawa, arā kē noa atu ngā mahi i tutuki i a ia i te wā o te ora hei hāpai ake i te oranga tonutanga o te iwi Māori. E ai ki ngā kōrero o te puna tiaki rauemi, o Kete Pūrākau he nui ngā whiti o te waiata nei kua titoa i roto i ngā tau. 

Hei tā John Tapene, nā Eru Īhaka, te matua o Kīngi, ngā kupu i tito. Ko Eru te kaitārai i te kupu ko Kīngi te kaitito i te rangi. E whā ngā reo i whakaritea ai hei hāpai ake i te rangi o te waiata, ka mutu ahakoa i whakamahia e ia tana ukulele hei puoro hāpai, i titoa te waiata nei mō ngā reo e whā anake, kauaka mō te puoro hāpai. I te tau 1967 ka āpitihia te wāhanga tīmatanga o te waiata ‘Whakarongo ake rā ki te tangi a reo,’ nā ka whakaakona te rōpū Mihinare Māori ki Tāmaki.

Tā Kingi Thaka was born in Te Kao on October 18, 1921. He was a New Zealand clerk, an interpreter, an Anglican minister, a broadcaster and Māori Language Commissioner, excelling in various endeavors throughout his life to uplift the well-being of the Māori people. According to the Kete Purākau archives, this song has been widely adapted over the years, with multiple versions. 

According to John Tapene it was Kīngi’s father Eru who wrote the words “Toro mai tō ringa kia harirūtia”. Eru was the lyricist and Kīngi brought the musicality to it. Although it was originally written to be sung in four part harmony without any accompaniment, Kīngi also included ukulele to his composition. In 1967 he added the introductory part ‘Whakarongo ake au ki te tangi a reo’ and taught it to the Anglican Māori Club in Auckland.

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