When the Haka Became Boogie - The Showbands (Episode Two)

Such was the success of their stylish combination of musical talent and humour, that foreign promotors would routinely sign up Māori showbands without even auditioning them; simply that they were Māori was a good enough guarantee of popularity. And one of the first and most famous was the Māori Hi-Five.

– Narrator Elle Hughes

We saw the boys, Tim and them, and they were all living in this one room apartment in London, and having to sell bottles to get a feed, whereas we were getting about 300 quid a week on the cabaret circuit and being a support act. We were living high, we were having a ball!

– Billy T James on meeting Split Enz in London, while he was there with The Māori Volcanics

It was combining the musical talent and flamboyancy that a Māori has naturally, and it was developing these skills, which is entertainment, music, and the art of smiling and singing with feeling and all that. And that's showband material ...

– Singer Rim D Paul on why showbands suited young Māori

It was drummed into to us that we were there as ambassadors [of Māori music] so we've gotta live right, we've got to look right, we've got to act right.

– Singer Rim D Paul, on the professionalism expected of a showband member