E tū tautoko noa

Composer

Pēwhairangi, Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi (Ngoi)

Ngoi Pēwhairangi

1921 – 1985

Born Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Ngawai on 29 December 1921 at Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast of the North Island, she was known affectionately as Ngoi. Ngoi was the eldest of five children of Hori Ngawai of Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare of Ngāti Porou of Tokomaru Bay, and his wife, Wikitoria Te Karu, of Ngāti Koi in the Hauraki region. Ngoi was raised in the Ringatu faith by her relatives Huka Pohaera and Raiha Kamau at Waiparapara. Her father, who worked as a labourer, was a minister of this church and an advocate of the Kotahitanga movement, which Ngoi herself later supported.

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Songs by this composer

  • Ko au

             Ko au he manu
             Ka tū ka rere mai

             He tau, he tau nā
             Ka hoki mai anō

    5       Ki te āwhina auē
             Ngā taonga aroha
             Hei...

    more

  • E tū tautoko noa

             E tū tautoko noa
             Ngā tumanako e
             A te ngākau māhaki
             Te hautū ake nei

    5       Kua honohia nei e
             Tātou i tēnei rā
             I...

    more

  • Hei konei rā

             Hei konei rā
             Ka hoki au
             Ki te kāinga e
             Tēra te wā
    5       Ka kite anō
             Tātou i a tātou katoa
             Nā te aroha
             I...

    more
Te Ipukarea

E tū tautoko noa

  • Composer: Ngoi Pēwhairangi,
  • Year: 1980 -
  • Genre: Waiata-ā-ringa
  • Ref#: PEW002

Lyrics

         E tū tautoko noa
         Ngā tumanako e
         A te ngākau māhaki
         Te hautū ake nei

5       Kua honohia nei e
         Tātou i tēnei rā
         I runga i te aroha
         Te rangimārie

         Kua ngaro ngā mōrehu
10     Tū mokemoke noa
         Ngā waihotanga rā e
         A rātou katoa

         Karanga mai mihi mai
         Ki a mātou katoa e
15     Te whānau kua eke nei
         Tō reo karanga e, tō reo karanga e

Explanation

The waiata-ā-ringa ‘Tō Reo Karanga E’ was composed for the opening of the dining room at Mataura in the South Island in the mid-1980s. Ngoi’s hapū, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare were invited and there were many reasons behind this. Many of Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare had left Tokomaru Bay and the East Coast to find employment, either to work in the freezing works industry or the shearing gangs. The closing of the freezing works in Tokomaru Bay from 1954 to 1955 left many people unemployed. So, many families decided to migrate south to seek employment in the industry with which they were familiar, and they settled in towns such as Mataura, Bluff and Invercargill. After Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare agreed to attend the opening, Ngoi then composed this waiata while having lunch in the kitchen during a hui at her marae, Pākirikiri. This is one of the last compositions she wrote before her death in 1985.

Tāmata Toiere would like to thank the Pēwhairangi Whānau Trust for their permission to share this waiata.The audio for this waiata was recorded by Ngoi's family at Pākirikiri marae, Tokomaru Bay originally for the CD which accompanies the biography on Ngoi. The waiata was mixed and edited at Mauria Mai Productions by Chub Renata.