Tuini Moetu Haangu Ngawai (5 May 1910 - 12 August 1965) was a well-known Māori songwriter, teacher, shearer and cultural adviser.

Her iwi

Iwi

In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...

 is Ngati Porou

Ngati Porou

Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006...

 and her hapu

Hapu

A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...

 is Te Whanau a Ruataupare. Born at Tokomaru Bay

Tokomaru Bay

Tokomaru Bay is a small, idyllic beachside community located on the isolated East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a-Namu, which refers to the abundance of sandflies...

, her twin sister died in infancy, and Moetu was given the name Tuini, a transliteration of twin. Tuini Ngawai composed many songs using European tunes, to encourage Māori pride and, from 1939, to raise morale among Māori at home and at the war. Many, such as Hoki mai e tama mā and E te Hokowhiti-a-Tū (to the tune of In the Mood) are still sung today.

External links

• 1956 Interview in Te Aou Hou magazine