Marae in the Sky

Taisha Tari | Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi

I whānau mai a Taisha Tari i Maraenui, Ahuriri. He tamāhine ia nā Remana rāua ko Dawn Tari, ā, koia tētahi o ā rāua tamariki tokorima. Tekau mā toru ōna pakeke, ka wehe a Taisha i te kāinga ki te whai i te ao pūoro, te mātauranga me te ao. Kua 30 tau a Taisha e mahi ana i te ao waiata me te pūoro, ā, kua whakaatu ia ki te whenua nei, puta noa ki te ao hei kaiwaiata, hei hoa mahi tahi anō hoki. E toru tau ki muri i tata mate ia, i riro hoki tōna reo. Ko tōna kī taurangi, ki te hoki mai tōna reo, ka kore e moumou te taonga i tuku ki a ia. Ka whakamahi a

Taisha i ōna taonga ki te whakaora i ngā momo e kore e kitea, engari e rāngona ana i te ngākau. He whakapono nōna ko te ao pūoro te rongoā mō te wairua.

Born in Maraenui Napier, Taisha Tari is the daughter of Remana and Dawn Tari and is one of five siblings. At the early age of 13 Taisha left the whānau to pursue music, education, and life. With a singing and music career extending 30 years, Taisha has performed nationally and internationally as a leading solo vocal artist and collaborator. Three years ago, Taisha experienced a health scare which nearly took her life and which also stole her voice. She vowed that if it were given back, she would not waste the gifts she was carrying. Strongly believing that music is medicine for the wairua (soul), Taisha uses her taonga to connect and heal those parts of us that are not seen but felt through the heart.

 

Peau Halapua | Lapaha, Mu’a; and Hihifo, Niuatoputapu; Kingdom of Tonga

Tere tonu te hua ake o te aroha i te tukunga mai o tētahi tōiri e te kuia o Peau ki a ia, nōna e tamariki ana i Whītī. I whānau mai a Peau i Tonga, ka waru ōna tau ka hūnuku ia ki Ingarangi, ki Hawai’i i tōna taiohitanga, ā, nō muri mai ki Aotearoa. Nō te 14 tau te pakeke ia e whakaari ana, e whakataetae ana me tāna tōiri. I whakapōtaetia ia i Waipapa Taumata Rau (The University of Auckland) hei Senior Scholar ki te Tohu Paetahi (Hōnore) mō te Puoro, ā, i te Australian National Academy of Music’s Advanced Performers Programme anō hoki. Nō muri i tana whakapōtaetanga ki te Tohu Paerua mō te whakatangi tōiri i te New England Conservatory of Music i Amerika, ka tīmata tana mahi tahi ki tōna pāpā, ki a Dr Sitiveni Halapua. Ka āwhina ia i āna mahi kōrero pūrākau e kīia ana ko te ‘talanoa’, hei whakaū i te rongomau i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, ā, i whakatū hoki rāua i ētahi kaupapa, arā, ko The Talanoa and Development Project me Talanoa Books anō hoki.

Hei tā Peau, ko te tōiri tētahi taonga puoro hei whakaatu i te hononga ki ngā kaitito tawhito, ā, ka whakakotahi mai i ngā tuakiri auaha kia hua ake ai tētahi tuakiri auaha anō. Ko āna whakaari nō nā tata nei he whakatangi tahi ki a L.A.B., ki a TEEKS, ki a Tami Neilson, ki a Sol3Mio me te whakaari o Girl from the North Country nā GWB Entertainment, ka mutu, ko te mahi rikoata mō ngā kiriata o Juniper me Mothers of the Revolution. Atu i āna mahi whakaari, e mahi ana ia ki tētahi taupuni autangi me te tito waiata anō hoki.

It was immediate love when Peau’s grandmother posted a violin to her as a child in Fiji. Moving to England when she was eight, to Hawai‘i as a teen and later to Aotearoa, Tongan-born Peau performed and competed on the violin from the age of 14, graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Music (Hons) as senior scholar, and the Australian National Academy of Music’s Advanced Performers Programme. After receiving a Masters in Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in the United States of America, she began working with her father, Dr Sitiveni Halapua, helping him use storytelling, which he called talanoa, to build peace in the Pacific region, co-founding The Talanoa and Development Project and Talanoa Books.

For Peau, the violin is an important instrument with which to express a connection to composers across time, simultaneously manifesting their creative expression and her own to make something new. Recent performances include playing for L.A.B., TEEKS, Tami Neilson, Sol3Mio and GWB Entertainment’s production of Girl from the North Country, and recording for the films Juniper and Mothers of the Revolution. In addition to performing, she splits her time between a luthier’s workshop and making her own original music.

 

Josh Clark | Ngāpuhi

He kaiwaiata, he kaipiana, he kaikōtui, he kaiwhakarite rangi, ka mutu, he kaitito a Josh Clark nō Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. Ko ōna kāwai Māori e tātai mai ana i Hokianga.

I roto i āna mahi, kua mahi a Josh i roto i ngā whakaari puoro nui i Aotearoa, pēnei i a Billy Elliot: the Musical, me CATS: New Zealand National TourOnce: The Musical. Ko ia te kaitohutohu puoro i te whakaaturanga, Four Suits and a Soprano nā rātou ko te New Zealand String Quartet i whakaari atu i te Āperira/Mei o 2021. I te Hepetema o te tau 2019 i hūnuku ia ki Rānana ki te mahi hei kaiako reo waiata, hei kaitohutohu puoro i te kura nui o Emil Dale Academy.

Nō tōna hokinga mai ki Aotearoa, kua tū ia hei kaiwhakaari, hei kaitohutohu hoki i ngā whakaari puoro pēnei i I’m Still Standing – An Elton John Experience me The Candlelight Music Series i St Matthew-in-the-City. Ā, i ngā tau o te 2022 me te 2023 i mahi ia me ngā rāngai puoro nui o roto mai o Aotearoa i ngā whakaari All You Need is Love (Beatles) me You Should Be Dancin’ (Bee Gees), rātou tahi ko ētahi kaiwaiata nui pēnei i a Laughton Kora me Annie Crummer.

Ko ētahi atu mea whakahirahira ko tāna whakatangi piana i The Piano Bar ki te kaupapa o te Auckland Live Cabaret Festival 2022, me ngā Gay and Lesbian Singers (GALS), nāna rātou i ako, ko ia te kaitohutohu puoro. Ka mutu, i waiata takitahi ia i roto i te Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra i Link Up.

Atu i āna mahi hei kaiwhakaari, he Marketing & Audience Development Coordinator a Josh mā te Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. I roto i āna mahi tito me āna mahi whakarite rangi, i whai wāhi a Josh ki ētahi o ngā mahi whakarite rangi i te Fortissimo choir o te kura o Dilworth. Kua rua ngā wā i toa rātou i te Auahi Kore Performance Award i te whakataetae puoro o Big Sing, arā, mō te whakaari pai katoa o ngā titonga reo Māori.

I ēnei rā, e mahi ana ia me ngā kaiwhakarite rangi, me ngā kaitito ngaio, pēnei i a Tom Rainey rāua ko Ryan Youens mō te whakarite i ngā rangi mā te Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra i

tā rātou kaupapa o te Connecting, he hōtaka torotoro, he hōtaka whakaako tēnei. Ko te mahi tahi hoki ki a Taane Mete i te whakaaturanga Marae in the Sky.

Josh Clark is a singer, pianist, conductor, arranger and composer from Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. His Māori heritage hails from the Hokianga. Throughout his career, Josh has worked on several major professional music theatre productions in Aotearoa including Billy Elliot: the Musical, CATS: New Zealand National TourOnce: The Musical. He musically directed and performed in Four Suits and a Soprano with the New Zealand String Quartet in April/May 2021. In September 2019 he moved to London to work at the award-winning Emil Dale Academy as a singing teacher and music director. Since moving back to New Zealand, he has performed in and produced multiple shows including I’m Still Standing – An Elton John Experience and The Candlelight Music Series at St Matthew-in-the-City, and in 2022/2023 performed with many major orchestras around New Zealand in All You Need is Love (Beatles) and You Should Be Dancin’ (Bee Gees) alongside some of New Zealand’s greats including Laughton Kora and Annie Crummer.

Other highlights include playing piano at The Piano Bar for the 2022 Auckland Live Cabaret Festival, performing with the Gay and Lesbian Singers (GALS), for whom he was the Associate Musical Director, and singing solo with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Link Up. When he is not performing, Josh is the Marketing & Audience Development Coordinator for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

As a composer and arranger, Josh’s writing credits include multiple arrangements for Dilworth School’s renowned Fortissimo choir, who have twice won the Auahi Kore Performance Award at the Big Sing for best performance of a piece in te rēo Māori. Currently, he is working alongside professional arrangers and composers Tom Rainey and Ryan Youens on producing arrangements for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Connecting outreach and education programmes, and collaborating with Taane Mete on Marae in the Sky.

 

 

Ngaronoa Renata | Ngāpuhi nui tonu Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa

I tipu te aroha i roto i a au mō te toikupu mai au e pūhou ana. I taku utu tuatahi i a au e rangatahi ana, i hoko au i tētahi kape o Roget’s Thesaurus ki te āwhina i taku tito toikupu. Mai tēnā ka tipu te whakamatemate ki roto i a au mō ngā reo tāukiuki, pēnei i te reo Māori, Sanskrit, Hīperu me te reo Ārapi.

I te tau 1989, i hūnuku mātou ko tōku punua whānau ki Waikato mai i Kaeo, i Te Tai Tokerau. Tōku whenua rangatira.

I uru atu au ki te wānanga, He Tuatoatanga, me tētahi mystery school tauiwi. (he kaupapa pīnakitanga), kei Waikato ēnei kura. I reira, ka para au i te huarahi ki te wānanga i ngā reo tāukiuki me te māramatanga pūtaiao.

E mahara ana au ki tōku pāpā e whaikōrero ana i te marae, i roto i te reo. I tangi pai au i te rongohanga i te tangi o te reo, titi tonu ki te ngākau.

I ahu mai a Pōhutukawa i ngā akoranga tohunga.

Ka whakanui au i tōku whakapapa Ngāpuhi mai i a Tuhikura me tōku whakapapa Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa mai i a Turikatuku.

From an early age, I developed a love of poetry and words.

When I received my first pay as a teenager, I bought a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus to assist my own poetic writings. That led to a curiosity in ancient languages such as Māori, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic.

In 1989, our little whānau moved to the Waikato from Kaeo, Northland, my Ngāpuhi ancestral home.

I joined the Māori Spiritual Warrior School and a Western mystery school (Foundation for Higher Learning), which are both based in the Waikato. There, I took a journey of in-depth study of ancient sacred languages and wisdom science.

I remember clearly when my father spoke on our marae in our reo (language). I wept when hearing the sound of our reo – it touched me profoundly.

Pōhutukawa, comes from those esoteric teachings.

I acknowledge my Ngāpuhi lineage through Tuhikura and Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa through Turikatuku.

 

Rosemary Whitehead

Kua whakangungua a Rosemary Whitehead hei kaihoahoa pūeru. Kua 35 tau ia e wheako ana i ēnei mahi i ngā taumata teitei o te ao kākahu me te hoahoa pūeru. I kuraina a Rosemary ki te New Zealand College of Fashion Design, ā, kā whakapōtae ia me ngā tohu huriao, Pōkairua Druleigh me te Pōkairua mō te waihanga pūtaketake. I ako ia ki te waihanga kākahu koere i te Wimbledon School of Art and Design, ā, ki te waihanga momo pōtae i te London College of Fashion Design.

I Rānana, ka mahi a Rosemary hei kaiāwhina whakaputa mō tētahi tino kaihoahoa pūeru i Kensington, arā ko Ritva Westenius. I muri i tērā, ka tū ia hei kaiwhakaputa matua mō te umanga Events Bridalwear. Haere te wā, ka mahi ia hei ūpoko kaihoahoa mō Chrisanne Clover, te umanga huriao matua mō ngā kākahu kanikani, ko tōna aronga matua ko ngā kākahu mō te kanikani ōkawa me te kanikani o nāianei. Ka whakakite ai ngā mahi a Rosemary ki te puka Bridal Vogue me te hōtaka Come Dancing. I Rānana, i hanga, ā, i whakaāhua i ētahi kākahu mō ngā whakaari.

I Aotearoa, kua mahikuhu a Rosemary hei kaihuatau mō ngā whakatairanga pouaka whakaata. Kua mahi anō ia hei kaihoahoa kākahu whakaari mō ētahi kiriata huriao pēnei i a The Warriors Way. Kua whakakite ia i te pouaka whakaata i te hōtaka Home Front, hei tohunga whakarawe, anō hoki hei kaiwaihanga pūtaketake mō te New Zealand design companies Workshop me Sera Lily.

Ko te umanga o Rosemary, ka aro atu ki ngā kākahu mārena, whakaari, motuhake anō hoki. He kaitohutohu, he kaiwaihanga anō ia mō te umanga Yvonne Bennetti, he umanga mō ngā kākahu hāneanea mō te wahine. Ka aru a Rosemary ki te whakakākahu i te tangata kia māia, kia taiea.

Rosemary Whitehead is a professionally trained couturier and dress designer with 35 years’ experience working in both the high-level fashion and costume design industries. Rosemary trained at the New Zealand College of Fashion Design, graduating with the internationally recognised Druleigh Diploma and Diploma for Pattern Making. She also studied corsetry at the Wimbledon School of Art and Design, and millinery at the London College of Fashion Design.

In London, Rosemary was employed as a production assistant for high-end Kensington couturier Ritva Westenius, after which she was head of production for the Events Bridalwear company. She then worked as head designer for Chrisanne Clover, the leading international dance wear company, specialising in ballroom and modern dance. Rosemary’s works frequently featured in Bridal Vogue, and on the famed television show Come Dancing. While in London, Rosemary also developed and designed for theatrical works.

In New Zealand, Rosemary has freelanced as a stylist for television commercials and has worked as a costume designer for international films including The Warrior’s Way. She also appeared on Television New Zealand’s Home Front make-over series as the furnishings specialist and worked as a pattern-designer for the New Zealand design companies Workshop and Sera Lily.

Rosemary’s business specialises in bridal wear, costumes, and bespoke wear. She also advises and designs for luxury womenswear company Yvonne Bennetti. ‘Rosemary is consistently striving to give people the confidence to look and feel great.’