"", also known as "Hei Konei Ra (Farewell)" on its original release, 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 third single in late 1984 or early 1985, prior to the band's tour of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The song peaked at number 21 in New Zealand, and was later included in their 1987 debut album ''

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 ...

''.

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 "" (English: "Waving White Feathers"), also known as "Raukura", is a song by Pātea Māori Club. Originally written in sessions with Ngoi Pēwhairangi and Dalvanius Prime in Tokomaru Bay in 1982, it was released as their second single in June 1 ...

" and "Hei Konei Rā". The lyrics are written as a lament for the loss of the old ways. The song was recorded as a ballad backed by string and synthesiser arrangement, featuring Dalvanius on lead vocals and the

Samoan New Zealander Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities. In the 2018 census, 182,721 New Zealanders identifie ...

vocal trio

The Yandall Sisters The Yandall Sisters were a popular New Zealand-born Samoan all-female singing group of the 1970s, who made a major contribution to music in New Zealand. The members of the group were Caroline, Mary and Adele Yandall, and later younger sister Pauli ...

on backing vocals. "Hei Konei Rā" was first found on a Pātea Māori Club release as a B-side on the "Aku Raukura" single released earlier in the year, where it appeared as a part of a live medley. The song was released as a single in December 1984. In mid-January, the song debuted at number 21 on the

Official New Zealand Music Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Musi ...

, spending four weeks in the top 30 singles, and a total of eight weeks charting in the top 50 singles. However, by late July the single peaked at number 10. This was released just prior to the club's global tour, which they left for on 15 January 1985. As the song primarily features vocals from Dalvanius, it made an appearance on the 2003 retrospective album ''

A Man of Passion ''A Man of Passion'' is a greatest hits album released by New Zealand Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori pe ...

'', released after Dalvanius passed away in October 2002. It was also featured on the compilation album '' Waiata 2: Maori Showbands, Balladeers & Pop Stars'' in 2013.

Track listing

*NZ 7-inch single #"Hei Konei Ra (Farewell)" – 3:05 #"He Honore Karoria (The Honour & Glory)" – 2:25

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''

'' album booklet. *Dave Hurley – engineering, co-production *Gordon Joll – drums *Stuart Pearce – keyboard, additional arrangement *

– songwriting *

– arrangement, lead vocals, producer, songwriting * Addelle Yandall – additional vocals * Mary Yandall – additional vocals * Pauline Yandall – additional vocals

Charts

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