Māori music — Taoka Pūoro

New Zealand’s musical heritage dates back to the arrival of the first Māori in Aotearoa. Musical traditions, in the form of waiata (songs) and haka (dance), were passed down from generation to generation and grew from their Polynesian roots. This page is a brief guide to Taoka Pūoro at your library.

About the music

In Traditional and modern music of the Māori, Terence Barrow writes that the music uses microtonal intervals (intervals smaller than a semitone). Many songs are accompanied by movement (haka), and rhythmic elements include foot stamping and thigh slapping.

Māori Games and Haka describes haka as a composition played by many instruments. Hands, feet, legs, body, voice, tongue, and eyes all play their part in blending together to convey in their fullness the challenge, welcome, exultation, defiance or contempt of the words.

Today, the music composed and performed by Māori not only includes and draws on traditional waiata and haka, but also includes rock and roll, soul, reggae, R&B (rhythm and blues) and hip hop.

Māori music resources

Search our catalogue

• Waiata
• Sound recordings of waiata
• Māori music
• Sound recordings of Māori music
• Haka
• Māori songs for children

Explore our Internet Gateway

We recommend these websites:

• Māori Music — Taoka Pūoro
• Contemporary Māori Music
• Iwi radio
• Kapa Haka

Waiata

Useful information on Māori songs from folksong.org.nz

He Ara Pūoro (A Pathway of Song)

Collaboration between Richard Nunns and Radio New Zealand, whereby Richard plays and begins to describe the many traditional Māori instruments in his collection. Each eight-minute feature has Richard playing an instrument and then talking about its individual history and context.

Traditional Māori Music

From Discover, a National Library of New Zealand collection of resources selected for use by New Zealand schools.

Māori Music Industry Coalition

The MMIC is being established to provide a Māori driven representative coalition that can engage and create a meaningful partnership with the New Zealand Music Industry and generate opportunities for industry members.

Te Māngai Pāho

Crown Entity established to make funding available to the national network of Māori radio stations and for the production of Māori language television programmes, radio programmes and music CDs.