Waka Huia - Hirini Melbourne & Te Puka a Maui

This is a song about birds...about owls. The owl is a bird that scares many Māori [laughter]. They hear it sing and say 'yes, someone has died' . . . The Pākehā knows this as an intelligent bird. To some Māori as well, it is the guardian of their families.

– Hirini Melbourne introduces a song about ruru (owls)

The main thing is te reo. These songs were made for everyone. If people, especially kids, like the songs — even if it's just the tune — then they can look beyond the words to their meaning.

– Hirini Melbourne on how his kids' songs can inspire learning

There were many at the time that said I wouldn't be able to pay for life's essentials through my language, though from that time through to now my language is what gives me life.

– Composer Hirini Melbourne on following his te reo Māori path as a songwriter, early in this interview

Tirairaka wero taiaha...tei, tei, ti, ti, tei!

– Lyrics from Hirini Melbourne's song 'Tirairaka', an ode to the piwakawaka (fantail)

...my thoughts returned to my origins . . . I started thinking deeply about the topics of my compositions. I started with my own origins. I heard the stories and desired to follow the stories of Hinepūkohurangi and Te Maunga at the beginning of Ngā Pōtiki.

– Hirini Melbourne on being drawn to write songs about his Tūhoe heritage, early in this interview

Most of my songs are short. There are maybe four lines. Many people that write songs beyond that, they are just making words up.

– Hirini Melbourne jokes about some of his shorter te reo songs