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Story: Waiata hōu – contemporary Māori songs

Alfred Hill and 'Waiata poi'

In this picture, Alfred Hill, looking a little like a fish out of water, collects Māori material. Hill, a composer and conductor, drew on Māori music and put his own spin on it. His popular song 'Waiata poi' was adopted by a number of Māori concert parties. Here it is sung by Te Arawa soprano Ana Hato, in a 1927 recording.

Using this item

State Library of New South Wales, Mitchell Library

Reference: PXE 1402 / Box 2 / item 51

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision – Radio New Zealand collection. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. Reference: 182487

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Piri Sciascia and Paul Meredith, Waiata hōu – contemporary Māori songs – Origins of contemporary waiata, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/music/44796/alfred-hill-and-waiata-poi (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Piri Sciascia and Paul Meredith, published 31 March 2014.

Comments

Harriet
29 May 2018
To request permission for re-use, please contact Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision - https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/contact. Sound file details: (Ana Hato sings (tk1)/Reference number ID25721).
Margery Peters
27 October 2017
I want to use a snippet of the song Waiata Poi in one of my own original songs. Who do i apply to for permission. It will be perormed live by vocalist