Waipara’s MNZM ‘more about the kaupapa’

Being named in the New Year Honours for his services to Māori music  is more about the kaupapa of Māori music rather than himself, says Tama Waipara (Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou).

He has been appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

“Finding out was very humbling and more than a bit overwhelming,” he said.

“The unending continuum of Māori music, particularly in Tairāwhiti, is something to find joy in every day.

“Our artists and composers have created treasures through the generations for us all to benefit from and today it is stronger than ever,” Mr Waipara said.

He has worked with many different Māori musicians and creatives over the years.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work alongside a host of people committed to seeing our artforms continue to grow and progress.”

He named people like Dame Hinewehi Mohi, Moana Maniapoto, Ngahiwi Apanui, Maisey Rika, Rob Ruha, Ngatapa Black, Horomona Horo, Tyna Keelan and many more, as people who have given themselves to see the artforms progress.

He wants to thank all those artists as well as his whānau, hapū and iwi who he said “have always scaffolded my journey with aroha”.

“Anei aku mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.”

Mr Waipara is a cultural arts advocate, composer and performer and has been the chief executive and artistic director of Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival since founding it in 2019.

He has been influencing the development of Māori music and young musicians through actively showcasing Māori musicians locally and internationally, particularly through festivals.

He is a Waiata Māori Music Awards Ambassador and has advocated for equitable Māori representation at the former Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards since 2015.

He has been a member of Pūatatangi, the national committee of Māori musicians and has been supporting rangatahi in New Zealand through the Pao! Pao! Pao! Tuakana-Teina Mentoring Programme.

He is deputy chair of Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust and a board member of Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum.

He composed the soundtrack for “Merata: How Mum Decolonised The Screen” and the feature film “Mahana”, a screen adaptation of the Witi Ihimaera novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies.

Mr Waipara received the Best Roots Album award for his album Fill up the Silence at the 2014 New Zealand Music Awards.

Other honours have included the Kiwibank Local Hero Award for Tairāwhiti in 2023, Te Waka Toi Awards, Ngā Tohu Hautūtanga Auaha Toi in 2020, and in 2016,  the APRA award for best original music for the feature film Mahana.