Lyrics

       Kaitātaki: He aha rā kei te tau o taku ate e haehae ake nei?

       Katoa: Ko te mamae ki te ngaro o taku reo!
       Warea kē ana ngā whakahaere Māori o te motu
       Me te iwi whānui hoki
5     Ki te reo o tauiwi!
       Me pēhea kē hoki e ora ai ki te whērā?
       E kore e ora i ngā kōhanga reo,
       Te Ātārangi, ngā kura reo rua, ngā whare wānanga
       Eaoia mā te kōrero tonu!  Mā te kōrero tonu!
10   E tātou, e te ao Māori, e tau nei
       Kāti rā te toupiore, te māikoiko
       Kei riro kē mā te Pākehā tō tātou reo e pupuri.

       Takatū ake!  Takatū ake!
       Takatū ake kia whai kiko ai te kōrero,
15   'Tōku reo, tōku ohooho,
       Tōku reo, tōku māpihi maurea,
       Tōku reo, tōku whakakai marihi'
       Aue!  Aue!  Aue!  Te mamae ki taku taonga e!
       Hei!

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       Kaitātaki: What is this tearing me apart?

       Katoa: It is the pain at the loss of my language.
       Māori organisations throughout the country
       And the Māori people themselves
5     Prefer the language of the Pākehā.
       How can the Māori language survive if that situation persists?
       It will not survive because of kōhanga reo,
       Te Ātārangi, bilingual schools or universities
       But by being spoken all the time.
10   We, the Māori, here assembled
       Be dilatory and indigent no longer
       Lest it be left to the Pākehā to keep our language alive.

       Get your act together!
       Get your act together so that these words are meaningful,
15   'My language, my cherished possession
       My language, my object of affection
       My language, my precious adornment'
       Aue!  Aue!  Aue!  What pain I feel at the loss of something so valuable.

Explanation

The serious question being asked is how can the Māori language survive?  The answer is by everyone continuing to speak it - there is no other way!  This was used as the exit at the national competitions held in Whangārei in October 1988.