Artists

For Jo’el Komene, his taonga puoro are a connection to the soul. A musician and carver with whakapapa to Nga Puhi, Tainui and Tapuika, he tells of his toi Māori journey; beginning with learning whakairo which fuelled a passion for Taonga Puoro, then furthering his practice with a masters in the kōauau. Now working in education and sharing his mātauranga, Jo’el is a key player in the revitalisation of te ao toi Māori.

As a renowned craftsman and an enthusiast, Brian Flintoff shares his memories and thoughts around the use, and proliferation of taonga puoro. He also briefly shares the story of coming up with the name “Haumanu”.

In this podcast episode of Oro Rua Horomona Horo speaks with practitioner and cultural consultant Kelly Kahukiwa nō Te Arawa Iwi about entering the world of music through jazz musician Stu Buchanan. Starting with the saxophone and then focusing on Taonga Puoro, Kelly shares insights into his mahi of building bridges of cultural understanding through his practise of Mā Oriori. He gives back to the Ngāhere with the Oro and the Whē of puoro and helps to obtain positive outcomes for Ngāi Māori.

Ruby Solly shares her thoughts and feelings about Taonga Puoro with Awhina Tamarapa. The pair cover some of the more memorable experiences in Taonga Puoro, influential people they’ve worked with and interesting ways that traditional Māori music can be fused with Western traditional instruments.

Tāmihana has a kōrero with Isaac Te Awa – a curator of Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa Museum, who is early in his Taonga Puoro journey. They kōrero about Isaac’s introduction to the practise, initiatives he is involved in for invigorating the taonga puoro community in Wellington and how preserving the precious taonga at the museum influences his personal growth and approach to mahi toi.

Aroha Yates-Smith, is a New Zealand performer and academic, who affiliates to Te Arawa, Tainui, Takitimu, Horouta, and Mataatua. She is known for her research into forgotten Māori female deities.