Karanga Aotearoa e!
Ki ngā iwi o te motu e
Haere mai rā, haere mai rā,
Haere mai rā, ki aku mahi e! 

Welcome to the Inspiration of Kohine Te Whakarua Ponika. 

For some, this will be a fond return to days when music was for the sheer pleasure of singing, when feet tapped irresistibly, when hips swayed and for a time, we were happy.

For others it will be a revelation.  Many know the tunes.  Yet few realise they were all created by one composer who couldn’t read a note of music.

More incredible is that Kohine Ponika created hit after hit on a ukulele at her kitchen table.  Her songs spread like wildfire, sung for generations by Māori tribes across New Zealand, revived at kitchen parties, and remembered on long summer evenings.

Kohine Ponika was a historian, keeper of knowledge, poet of the Maori renaissance, teacher and composer.  She is Music.  She is Nanny.

Finally, it is time for her story to be composed.

May we all be blessed with a moment of joy again.

“Fear Not the Dark, God Made Us All”
Ka Haku Au, Kohine Ponika