Source: Radio New Zealand
Fast-rising artist Ngatainui Ratu, known by his stage name Tawhaki, says his music draws on kōrero passed down by his whānau, exploring themes of identity, pride, and impacts of colonisation. Supplied
Fast-rising Māori roots reggae artist Ngatainui Ratu, known by his stage name TAWHAKI, says his music is about turning inherited trauma into something positive – and encourages rangatahi Māori to believe in a future they may not yet be able to see.
Named Emerging Artist under 25 (Te Tohu Kaipūoro Rangatahi Hou) at the 2025 Māori Music Awards, the 20-year-old is quickly becoming one of the standout voices of new generation of musicians in Aotearoa.
His tracks ‘The Valleys’ and ‘Roaming’ have gone viral across social media, placing him among a growing wave of rangatahi gaining momentum alongside artists such as Te Wehi and Hori Shaw.
While his songs have found a wide audience online, TAWHAKI said their success was never something he anticipated.
“I didn’t expect it to blow up as much as it did,” he told RNZ. “It’s just cool to see our people re-indigenise to who they are in their own way.”
‘The Valleys’, one of his most well-known tracks, began as a song shared quietly with whānau.
“I first sang ‘The Valleys’ at my uncle’s birthday… It was something personal I kept to myself.
“My uncle encouraged me to put it online, and suddenly I was out of my comfort zone, just a boy from the middle of nowhere.”
Much of his songwriting centres on identity, pride, and the ongoing impacts of colonisation. He said those themes were drawn directly from the kōrero passed down through his whānau.
“My nannies and my koros, all they’ve spoken about is how they’ve suffered trauma over the years and over the lifetime they’ve lived,” he said.
“All I’m saying is, how do we turn this trauma into something positive? A positive mindset so we can all work together as one.”
Tawhaki said his early upbringing in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori has shaped the way he writes and tells stories through his music Supplied
One of the key messages woven throughout his lyrics is the idea of belief, such as believing in outcomes that may feel out of reach.
In ‘The Valleys’, the lyrics “Koi te mata pūnenga, maiangi te mata pūihoiho” reflect the idea of believing in the unbelievable. he said.
“We need to believe the unbelievable, asking how we reconnect and live alongside the people who colonised our lands.”
TAWHAKI said music was a tool for holding space for stories that were often left unspoken.
“That’s what music’s about at the end of the day – it’s speaking the untold stories that our people have told, but they’re just scared to tell the story.
“And it’s kids like us that have grown up in the society where people torment you and dishonour you… The question is how [do] we flip that story and make it a positive?”
TAWHAKI grew up immersed in te ao Māori and music.
“Tipu ake ahau ki te pā o Waiwhetū, ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara. I reira au i ako ai i ngā wheako o te ao waiata.”
He spent his early years in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori, and credited his talents to the likes of his whānau. His māmā and his grandparents were also musicians.
“Singing’s just been a part of my life since the day I came out of my mum’s womb.”
TAWHAKI was also raised within kapa haka, which he said helped shape both his voice and worldview.
“Tipu ake ahau ki roto ki ngā mahi kapa haka. Koira tōku ao, ko te ao ō te waiata.”
Growing up Māori-medium education, TAWHAKI said using te reo Māori in his music came with a sense of responsibility to future generations.
“I hope people take something from my music and write it into their own scriptures. It’s up to us to create pathways for the next generation so they don’t have to live the way we live today.”
In the current political climate, TAWHAKI believed it was important for Māori storytelling to be future-focused.
“It’s up to us to become the ancestors of tomorrow. I don’t care about narratives. I care about the future.”
Tawhaki says his mother and grandparents are the foundation of his whare. Supplied
Winning Te Tohu Kaipūoro Rangatahi Hou, TAWHAKI said, was a collective achievement.
“It’s beyond words, but it’s not just my achievement,” he said. “It’s not a one man’s band. It takes a whole village and a whole pā to raise a child.”
His strongest support system remained close to home.
“My mum and my grandparents, they’re the foundation of my whare,” he said.
“Ko rātou tōku poukaiawha, tōku pou tuarongo, tōku pou matua o tōku whare. They’ve enabled me to build my whare by myself, with their support.”
As his audience continued to grow, TAWHAKI said he had become increasingly aware of the responsibility that came with visibility.
“I come from a family where all I see is red, just like some people see blue,” he said.
“It’s cool to interact with people around the world that see many colours, and we’re all the same at the end of the day.”
He said seeing people from all walks of life come together through waiata was his “drive to keep going”.
“Not just for my family, but for families who suffer like mine did.”
Tawhaki said his aspiration is to be a positive role model for others, particularly for his tamariki. Supplied
At just 20 years old, he was also a father to two young daughters.
“I’ve got two beautiful kids, and this is for them,” he said. “I want to show that stepping away from that life is actually cool.
“Turn left down a pathway you don’t know, one day it will give you more than the life you were shown.”
With tour dates planned across the country and growing interest in his music, TAWHAKI said he was content to let the future unfold.
“I just jumped on the waka,” he said. “Whatever the future has for me, it has for me.”
For rangatahi Māori hoping to follow a similar path, his advice was to “just be yourself”.
“Koira te uho o tō ake manawa.” [Being yourself], that is your core. There’s nothing better than being yourself. Being yourself is the pinnacle of your world.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand