Moana Maree Maniapoto (born 22 June 1961) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and documentary maker. Widely considered one of New Zealand's most successful indigenous acts, her music is described as a fusion of traditional

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 people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

haka, chants and taonga puoro, with contemporary soul, reggae and classical styles. Moana was briefly married to New Zealand politician and radio personality Willie Jackson, during which time she was known as Moana Maniapoto-Jackson; they divorced in 2001. In 2016, Moana was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Early life

Maniapoto was born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, New Zealand, and attended

St Joseph's Māori Girls' College St Joseph's Māori Girls' College or Hato Hōhepa is a Catholic, integrated, boarding and day college in Taradale, New Zealand, for girls in Year 7 to Year 13. It is the largest Māori girls' boarding secondary school in New Zealand. History St ...

in Napier. She completed her secondary school education at McKillop College, Rotorua. She is said to have paid her way through Auckland law school by singing covers in the highly competitive

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

club circuit. Maniapoto was raised

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, with her cousin

Max Mariu Max Takuira Matthew Mariu (12 August 1952 – 12 December 2005) was the Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, New Zealand (1988–2005). He was the first Māori to be ordained a Catholic bishop. Early life Mariu was born in Taumarunui in 1952 and his ...

being the first Māori bishop. However during her college years Maniapoto began to question her Catholic beliefs, and abandoned them entirely after the birth of her children. She now considers herself a follower of traditional Māori spirituality.

Career

1986-1998: Moana and the Moahunters

In 1986, Moana debuted as a solo artist and released "

Kua Makona "" (English: "Isn't That Enough"), is the debut single from Moana Maniapoto. Produced by Dalvanius Prime and sung in the Māori language, the song was used in a campaign for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand. In 1993, the song was re ...

" as a part of a campaign for the

Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand The Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand ("ALAC") was established in 1976, by the government of New Zealand, under the Alcohol Advisory Council Act of 1976, following a report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of Liquor. Its pu ...

. The song was produced by

Maui 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. ...

and peaked at number 27 on the

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

singles chart. In 1989, Moana formed Moana and the Moahunters with Teremoana Rapley and Mina Ripia. In 1990, Moana and the Moahunters released "Black Pearl" which peaked at number 2 on the national charts in 1991, earning Moana her first gold. In 1991, Moana and the Moahunters released "AEIOU (Akona Te Reo)" ( en, Learn the Language), which combined rap with traditional Māori song. The lyrics of the single urged Māori youth to work to preserve their culture and traditions, learn about their history, and for all New Zealanders to learn the Māori language. The song was nominated for several awards in 1991. The band released their debut album ''Tahi'' in August 1993. The band's second album, ''Rua'', combined pop, hip-hop and Māori music. The songs on the album dealt with themes such as spirituality and prophecy, and the album cover used traditional Māori symbols. Other songs discussed colonial issues, such as the Treaty of Waitangi, signed between the Māori people and the British government in the 1840s. The group scored a gold record in New Zealand and a hit single. Moana retired the group after performing at the 1998 Vancouver Folk Festival.

Promotion of Māori culture

Moana and the Moa Hunters were well known for pioneering a distinctively Māori form of popular music, during a period when Māori language and culture was not as widely accepted or promoted as today. The band had a significant influence due to their style and message to the public. Besides their music, the group was well-known for their use of the traditional Māori haka. During concerts they projected images behind them related to the Māori people, such as the New Zealand landscape or traditional Māori Ta Moko tattooing. Although they rap mostly in English, as most Māori youth did not speak much Māori in the early 1990s, the group's lyrics emphasise the necessity of studying their history and culture. When the group received a New Zealand Music Industry award in 1992, they accused the New Zealand radio of racism against Māori groups, whose music was categorised as "underground" and refused airtime by DJs.Mitchell, Tony. "Kia Kaha! (Be Strong!): Maori and Pacific Islander Hip-hop in Aotearoa-New Zealand." In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, ed. Tony Mitchell, 280-305. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2001.

2002–present: Moana and the Tribe

In 2002, Moana formed the band Moana and the Tribe which consisted of a large group of musicians and performers with a passion for

Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Polynesians, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of Cul ...

. Since their formation, the band has become one of the most successful indigenous bands to emerge from New Zealand. In May 2008, Moana released ''Wha''. She toured in 2008 and 2009 Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Turkey, New Zealand and performed at the opening of the

Biennale in Venice The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

/ Italy in June 2009. Moana & the Tribe launched songs from their 5th album ''Rima'' in 2014 at

Womad NZ WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

. In 2014, Moana and her band formed the Boomerang Collaboration with Scottish band

Breabach Breabach is a Scottish folk music band formed in 2005. In 2011, they received nominations for ‘Best Group’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They won Scottish Folk Band of the Year in 2012 and Live Act of the Year in 2013 at the Scots Trad Music ...

Shellie Morris Shellie Morris is an Indigenous Australian singer/songwriter who plays a mix of contemporary folk music and contemporary acoustic ballads. Biography and career Shellie Morris was raised in Sydney and began singing at an early age. She often perf ...

, Casey Donovan and Djakapurra, playing concerts at Womad NZ,

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

and

HebCelt The Hebridean Celtic Festival (Scottish Gaelic: Fèis Cheilteach Innse Gall) or HebCelt is an international Scottish music festival, which takes place annually in Stornoway on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Headliners to date inclu ...

(Scotland). ''Rima'' was a finalist at the

2015 Vodafone NZ Music Awards The 2015 New Zealand Music Awards was the 50th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 19 November 2015 at Vector Arena in Auckland and was hosted b ...

and the song "Upokohue" was a finalist in the APRA Maioha Award. It won 2nd place in the World category at the

International Songwriting Contest The Unisong International Songwriting Contest is the oldest international songwriting competition for and judged by songwriters. Unisong International Song Contest was founded in 1996 by songwriter Alan Roy Scott (Music Bridges), publisher David ...

Other activities

Moana is one half of an award-winning film-making team led by her partner and band member Toby Mills. Their documentary work includes ''Guarding the Family Silver'', which screened in the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

All Roads Film Festival and ''The Russians are Coming'', which played at the

during the

Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival Message Sticks Festival, also known for some time as Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, was an arts festival celebrating the culture of Aboriginal Australians, based at the Sydney Opera House, between 1999 and 2013. It focused on film fo ...

in 2012. She is also a regular writer for the Māori and Pacific online weekly newspaper ''e-tangata''. Moana is the presenter of the weekly current affairs television program ''Te Ao with Moana'', which broadcasts at 8 pm every Monday on Māori Television and is currently in its third series.

Recognition

Moana won the grand prize at the 2003 International Songwriting Competition with her song "Moko". In 2003, '' New Zealand Herald'' described Moana's music as "music of great depth and beauty". In the

2004 Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2004 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2004 for the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Cook IslandsCook Islands list: and elsewhere to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2004. The recipients of honours are d ...

, Moana was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to Māori and music. She is also a Life Time Recipient of the Toi Iho Māori Made Mark and received the 2005 Te Tohu Mahi Hou a Te Waka Toi Award from Te Waka Toi (

Creative N.Z. The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

), in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contribution to the development of new directions in Māori art. Moana received a Music Industry Award at the Maori Waiata 2008 Awards, also for her positive contribution to Māori Music.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as ''New Zealand Music Awards'' (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including b ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , rowspan="2", 1987 , , Moana - "

" , , Polynesian of the Year , , , , rowspan="15", , - , Moana , , Most Promising Female, , , - , 1988 , , Moana Moahunters, , Polynesian of the Year, , , - , rowspan="2", 1989 , , Moana & The Moa Hunters - "Pupurutia" , , Polynesian of the Year, , , - , Moana Jackson , , Female of the Year , , , - , rowspan="4", 1992 , , Moana & The Moa Hunters - "A.E.I.O.U." , , Māori of the Year, , , - , Moana Jackson , , Female of the Year , , , - , Teremoana Rapley - Moana & The Moa Hunters/MC OJ , , Most Promising Female , , , - , Moana & The Moa Hunters - "A.E.I.O.U." , , Music Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", 1996 , , Moana and The Moahunters - "Give it Up Now" , , Mana Māori of the Year, , , - , Moana and The Moahunters - "Akona te Reo '95" , , Mana Reo , , , - , rowspan="2", 1999 , , Moana and The Moahunters - ''Rua'' , , Mana Māori of the Year, , , - , Moana and The Moahunters - ''Rua'' , , Mana Reo , , , - , 2008 , , Moana & the Tribe - ''Wha'' , , Māori of the Year, , , - , 2015 , , Moana & the Tribe - ''Rima'' , , Māori of the Year, , , - , 2016 , , Moana , , New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , , , , , -

References

External links

Moana Maniapoto
at NZ On Screen * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moana 1961 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand Māori women singers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand women singers People educated at St Joseph's Māori Girls' College New Zealand former Christians Former Roman Catholics Māori-language singers Jackson family (New Zealand) People educated at John Paul College, Rotorua