Hīnaki

We've been telling people to learn te reo for ages. Yelling at people doesn't really get the job done, you know, so I started making my reo raps or my "reo rua raps" ...like, I think that's what people connected with.

– Swizl Jager on mixing te reo and English in his raps, in his 2023 Waiata Anthems episode

Mauri ora, no coulda, woulda, shoulda, been called a no-gooder since he dropped out of kura...

– Lyrics from Swizl Jager's waiata 'Hīnaki'

I'm just gonna go back and forth and chuck in whatever I want, whenever I want. So yeah, I was just trying to get gully with it.

– Swizl Jager on his bilingual approach to his waiata 'Hīnaki', in his 2023 Waiata Anthems episode

With writing songs in te reo Māori there is that extra pressure of people saying te reo is a beautiful language so you shouldn't sing about partying on the weekend. But Māori have always been cheeky, our tūpuna were singing about what was happening in their lives, I am doing the same thing.

– Nikora Edwards on writing material relevant to his life, in his 2023 Waiata Anthems episode