Tini Whetū

In 2021 musician and te reo Maori consultant Tawaroa Kawana (Ngāti Rangitāne) took on a project working alongside iwi Rangitāne in the Wairarapa and Manawatu regions, addressing worrying rates of Māori youth suicide. Kawana formed ensemble Tini Whetū with local rangatahi (young people), and recorded a new version of his uncle's waiata 'Tū Mai Rā'. The single was released as part of the 2023 season of series Waiata Anthems. The group's name derives from the iwi saying "Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Tānenui-a-rangi ki te whenua", which translates to "Like the multitude of stars in the sky, so great is Rangitāne on the earth".