MMF member Kirsten Te Rito and her husband James Illingworth were asked to produce the waiata for Te wiki o te Reo Māori 2016 by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori - the Māori Language Commission.
The name of the waiata is Ana Hī (pronounced “A-nah-hee”) and is a celebration of our beautiful language that fuses haka with electronic dance music.
Ana Hī was written by Ngahiwi Apanui and features the awesome Wellington kapa haka rōpu Ngā Taonga Mai Tawhiti, Shapeshifter drummer Darren Mathiassen, and vocalists Lisa Tomlins, Jason Te Patu and myself.
The theme for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2016 was 'ākina te reo – behind you all the way' which is about using te reo Māori to support people, to inspire and to cheer on with a focus on the upcoming Rio Olympics.
