Kete Aronui - Ardijah

Ryan and Betty-Anne Monga, the core of South Auckland “poly funk” band Ardijah, are profiled in this episode from a Māori Television series about leading Māori artists. In this excerpt, they recall their early days, with Betty-Anne as a soloist and Ryan leading a “boys group” covers band with dreams of a residency on the club circuit. Their decision to join forces resulted in a chart hits like ‘Give Me Your Number’ and ‘Time Makes a Wine’, and in the band becoming a family business — with their son playing bass (but only after a rigorous audition).

One of our big goals was to get into a night club.

– Ryan Monga recall’s Ardijah’s humble beginnings