"" (English: "Waving White Feathers"), also known as "Raukura", is a song by

Pātea Māori Club Pātea Māori Club is a New Zealand cultural group and performance act formed in the South Taranaki District, South Taranaki town of Patea, Pātea in 1967 as the Pātea Methodist Māori Club. In 1983, the group began to release Māori language, ...

. Originally written in sessions with

Ngoi Pēwhairangi Te Kumeroa "Ngoingoi" Pēwhairangi (29 December 1921 – 29 January 1985) was a prominent teacher of, and advocate for, Māori language and culture, and the composer of many songs, including ''Poi E''. She spearheaded the Māori Renaissance in ...

and

Dalvanius Prime Maui Dalvanius Prime (16 January 1948 – 3 October 2002) was a New Zealand entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture ...

Tokomaru Bay Tokomaru Bay is a small beachside community located on the isolated East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a- ...

in 1982, it was released as their second single in June 1984, during the chart success of their debut hit "

Poi E "Poi E" is a New Zealand 1984 number-one hit song by the group Pātea Māori Club off the album of the same name. Released in 1984, the song was sung entirely in the Māori language and featured a blend of Māori cultural practices in the song a ...

". The song peaked at number 10 in New Zealand, and was later included in their 1987 debut album ''

''.

Background and composition

The song was written in

in 1982, when

visited the house of lyricist

. In a single day, the pair had created "

", "Aku Raukura" and " Hei Konei Rā". The song was written to help younger Māori alienated from their culture in a familiar medium, and is a discussion of identity and a request for

Urban Māori Urban Māori are Māori people living in urban areas outside the ''rohe'' (traditional tribal lands) of their ''iwi'' (tribe) or ''hapū'' (sub-tribe). The 2013 New Zealand census showed that 84% of Māori in New Zealand lived in urban areas, 25% ...

to reconnect to their roots. It was first performed to an audience at the 1983 Polynesian Festival alongside "

", in Heretaunga (

Hastings, New Zealand Hastings (; mi, Heretaunga) is an inland city of New Zealand and is one of the two major urban areas in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of the North Island. The population of Hastings (including Flaxmere) is (as of with a further people in H ...

) in February. The track was recorded in April 1984 at Mascot Recording Studios, located on

Queen Street, Auckland Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's main population centre. The northern end is at Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and the Downtown F ...

. The song features Dalvanius' brother Timothy Prime as the kaea (lead vocalist). The song was released as a single in June 1984, and debuted at number 30 on the charts. However, by late July the single peaked at number 10. In a 1984 episode of the variety show ''Hui Pacific'' the group performed the song alongside breakdancers. At the 1984 New Zealand Music Awards, "Aku Raukura" was nominated for Single of the Year, however lost to

The Narcs The Narcs are an award winning New Zealand band, that formed in 1980 in Christchurch, New Zealand, by bassist Tony Waine, drummer Bob Ogilvie and guitarist Garth Sinclair – departed/replaced by Australian guitarist/singer songwriter Andrew/Andy ...

' "You Took Me (Heart and Soul)". However, the single won the Top Polynesian Award, and the single artwork by Joe Wylie won the Sleeve Design award. The song was performed at the

Seville Expo '92 The Seville Expo '92 was a universal exposition that took place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, October 12, 1992, on La Isla de La Cartuja (Charterhouse Island), Seville, Spain. The theme for the expo was "The Age of Discovery", celebrating the ...

New Zealand pavilion, by a group led by George and Tangiwai Ria, and including some members of Pātea Māori Club.

In popular culture

Alongside "Poi E", "Aku Raukura (Disco Mix)" appears on the soundtrack to the 2010 film ''Boy''.

Track listing

*NZ 12-inch single and cassette single #"Aku Raukura" – 4:00 #"Poi E" (Monster U.S. Breakdance Mix) – 3:50 #"Aku Raukura Part 2" – 3:03 #"Medley" (Live in Concert) "Aku Raukura" "Hei Konei Ra" – 5:05 *NZ 7-inch single #"Aku Raukura" – 4:00 #"Medley" (Live in Concert) "Aku Raukura" "Hei Konei Ra" – 5:05 #"Poi E" (Monster U.S. Breakdance Mix) – 3:50

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''

'' album booklet. *

– arrangement, producer, songwriting *Willie Dayson – slide guitar *Gordon Joll –

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*Stuart Pearce – keyboard, additional arrangement *

– songwriting *Timothy Prime – kaea (vocal lead) *Tama Renata – guitar, additional arrangement

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control New Zealand songs 1984 singles 1984 songs Māori-language songs Pātea Māori Club songs Songs written by Ngoi Pēwhairangi Song recordings produced by Dalvanius Prime