E ai ki ngā kōrero a Te Wharehuia Milroy i tupu mai a Hirini i waenga i tōna iwi i te riu o Rūātoki i te wā e kōrero nuitia ana te reo – katoa, katoa, o tērā takiwā he kōrero Māori anake. E ai ki a Wharehuia kāore anō kia moe atu te reo Māori i te reo Pākehā i taua wā!  Ko ōna mātua ko Harry Melbourne, he kaiahuwhenua, rāua ko Nawarihi Melbourne (ko Puna te ingoa whānau o tana whaea).

I tana whānautanga mai i te tau 1949, ka kitea e tētahi tapuhi i te hōhipera tana ingoa tuarua, a Melbourne me tana huatau i te ingoa Sydney hei ingoa tuatahi. Nā tapā tonutia iho e ana mātua ki te ingoa o Sydney Melbourne. Nō muri mai nō tana pakeketanga ka huri ki te whakamāoritanga o Sydney, arā, Hirini, hei ingoa mōna. He tamaiti pīrangi a Hirini ki ngā manu, ki te heihei me te rakiraki, ka huri haere hoki ki te tirotiro i ngā pepeke, i te pōpokorua, ki te ako i ngā āhuatanga o aua momo mea. I mōhio anō te ngākau o Hirini ki ēnei āhua. Ka whakamāramatia e Te Wharehuia te āhua o te whāngainga o Hirini e tētahi kaumātua mō tētahi wā, arā, he tamaiti whāngai, kāti, nō te matenga o taua koroua ka hoki anō ki tōna whānau.

I haere a Hirini ki te kura tuatahi o Rūātoki i tōna tamarikitanga. Ka haere ki Te Aute, i muri, ki te whare wānanga o Tāmakimakaurau. I kōrerotia e ia tētahi paki ki a Henare Kīngi o te Reo Irirangi o Te Upoko mō te uiuinga a te rūānuku o reira, a Bruce Biggs, tohunga wetereo rongonui o Ngāti Maniapoto i a ia. Ka whakakīa e Hirini nga pepa tono, i te rā tuatahi, i te tari tonu o te kaumātua. E ai ki a Hirini ka titiro a Bruce ki tana puka, me tana kī, kei te tari hē koe, kua tuhia e koe tō hiahia kia rēhita mai koe hei ākonga mō te ‘Moari Department.’ I kī a Hirini, i tōia ia ki ngā mahi whare wānanga e ana pakeke, e Te Rangihau mā, e Tīmoti Kāretu mā, e Te Wharehuia Milroy mā, me tā rātou kī, ahakoa he tangata kōrero Māori tūturu koe, me noho koe i konei kia āta ruku ki te hōhonutanga atu o ngā tikanga tuhi, kōrero, whakaako i te reo.

Pakeke ake nei ia, ka nuku rāua ko tana wahine, a Jan, me tana tamāhine tuatahi ki Pōneke. I puta te kī a Hirini, kāore ia i pai ki te mahi whakaako i roto i tēnei mea te kura, ko ngā ture me ngā whakaritenga tērā, ko te karawhiu i te mahi hē tērā, arā, mō ngā ture nā te tangata kē i whakatau. Ko tāna mahi hou he mahi i te tari whakaputa pukapuka mā ngā kura. Ka tūtaki ki tana hoa, ki tana kaitohutohu ki a David Somerset, kaihautū i ngā waiata a Hirini i Radio New Zealand i Pōneke. I whakaputaina ētahi kāheti, arā, rīpene waiata, me tētahi rekoata LP nei, ā, i hokona mā Replay Radio, i runga i te whakaae ā-kirimana a Hirini ki ērā whakaritenga.

I haere ana mahi pūoro me tana kutā ki tana mahi hou. He rawe ki a Hirini te kutā. He āhua rite tana ako i te rakuraku i ngā tuaina o tana kutā ki te Robert Johnson o Amerika, kāore i nui ngā pō e mahi ana, e ako ana, kua hinga te mahi i a ia. E ai ki ngā kōrero i āhua kurutōtoto ngā pito o ana matimati i te mutunga.

I te tau 1982 ka huri te titiro a Hirini ki tētahi atu kaupapa nui hei take waiata, ko te taiao, ko te pēhitanga o tana iwi, o te rawakore, o te ao anō hoki. Ko te ingoa o tēnei kohinga ko Hinepūkohurangi. Kei roto ko ētahi waiata mō ngā take tōrangapū, pēnei i te wheketere i hiahia rā ētahi ki te whakatū i Aramoana, i Ōtākou, me te kore mahi o te iwi Māori. He mema hoki a Hirini nō te rōpū rongonui o Ngā Tamatoa i hautū rā i te pakanga mō ngā mōtika Māori, me te tika kia tū. Ko tana hoa waiata i tēnei o ngā Kāheti ko Te Rita Papesch, te manu waiata rongonui o Waikato-taniwha-rau, e mōhiotia ana te rōreka o tōna reo e te motu katoa. Ka noho a Te Rita hei hoa waiata mōna mō te wā roa. I taua wā anō ka haere a Rāwiri Somerset rātou ko Hirini ko ngā kairāwekeweke mīhini o Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa ki Rūātoki ki te hopu i ngā waiata a ngā tamariki i tōna ake kura o mua, e waiata ana i āna waiata ake. Ko tērā kura tētahi o ngā kura-reo tuatahi o ēnei ngahuru tau o te whakaoranga o te reo, ā, kua roa a Hirini e mahi ana i roto i tētahi komiti kaikōrero nō Tūhoe ki te tuhi rauemi ki te reo o Tūhoe, mā te kura. I mīharo a David Somerset ki ngā āhuatanga ātaahua o te wharenui mō te hopu oro, mō te mātau o ngā kaiako ki te tohutohu i te reo waiata kia ātaahua, kāti, ki te ātaahua tonu atu o te waiata a ngā tamariki.

Nō hea ana waiata? Ka rongo a Hirini i te reo o ngā manu, i te reo hoki o te ngahere, ka tuia mai e ia te mātauranga o ngā tīpuna i te taha. Ko te reo o te riroriro he karere, he whakaoho, he whakaaraara. Kaua e waiho noa te māra! Tangihanga mai o te riroriro me haere ki te huti i ngā tarutaru, ki te wāwāhi paioneone, ki te ruirui i ngā ngārahu, i ngā wairākau e tika ana, ka makaia he taewa ki te one, kia whiwhi kai ai te whānau. Kei ekengia e te kōrero, Maramara nui a Mahi ka riro i a Noho. 

Whakarongo ki te riroriro, riroriro, ka mahi kai māhau 
Rere riroriro rere rere runga kōhanga
Huri te uru hauraki hauraki 
He tohu kuraraki

(Ngā kupu: ‘Riroriro’ – ‘grey warbler’ nā Hirini Melbourne)

Ko ētahi hoki o ngā waiata a Hirini, he tangi mō te aotūroa me ana āwangawanga mō te ngahere, mō te whenua, mō te rangi. I puta i a Hirini ēnei kōrero i te tau 1991: 

“Otirā kua waiatahia ngā waiata nei, he kaupapa anō i whakaarahia ake ai, kei te mōhio tātou kei te hē te takoto o Papatūānuku i tēnei wā, tōna tinana kua hē, e titiro ana tātou ki a Ranginui, he pērā anō te āhuatanga ki a ia. He aha ai? Nā te mea e tūkinohia ana, e tātou e te tangata, e ōna uri whakaheke. Nō reira ka aroha ake ki ēnei āhuatanga …  Ka titiro te Māori ki tōna ao, me ngā hereherenga, ngā paiherenga o te ao, o te tangata ki tōna ao, te tangata ki ngā uri e noho nei i runga i a Papatūānuku, otirā e noho ana i runga i te whakaaro he whanaunga kotahi. Engari kua tāwhitiwhiti ēnei whakaaro i a tātou… Kei te māharahara ake au. Koinei te āhua o ngā whakaaro i roto i ngā waiata.”

I tukua te pātai ki a Hirini i te tau 1991, he aha te wāhanga ki ngā waiata tūturu Māori, te wāhi hoki ki te taha o ngā waiata o te ao hou, pērā i āna waiata i tito ai, mō ngā rā kei te tū mai? Anei te whakautu a Hirini:

“Ki ahau kei te whai wāhanga ērā waiata ki a tātou i ēnei rangi, nā te mea i puea ake ērā waiata i te wairua Māori, i te hinengaro Māori, i te ao Māori, i pupū ake i roto i te whatumanawa o te Māori, i te pātuki o te manawa o te Māori, i ōna mamae, i ōna harakoa hoki, i ngā wā e noho tahi ana rātou, nā reira kei te pā tonu te mamae ki a tātou, kei te pā tonu mai ngā tāmitanga, ngā takahitanga, nā reira, mā ngā waiata e whakaputa ngā mōteatea kei roto i a tātou.

“Kaua rawa e tukua kia pahemo atu, ahakoa kua ngaro ngā kaitito i ērā waiata, e ora tonu ana ā rātou taonga hei ārahi i a tātou, hei tohutohu ki a tātou. Ki a au, koirā he tauira mō te whakatakoto i ngā whakatangitangi o te ao hou nei. Ehara i te mea e kī ana ahau, kāore he wāhanga o ngā waiata hou, kei te pai ērā, i pupū ake ngā waiata hou nei i roto i ngā āhuatanga o tēnei ao, kia waiho mai e tātou he tauira o tēnei ao mā ngā whakatupuranga e haere mai ana, mā rātou e āpiti mai ā rātou waiata, ki ngā waiata kua titoa mai, i te tupunga mai o te Māori i runga i tēnei whenua, tae noa mai ki tēnei wā, ki ngā waiata.

“Ka whakaaro ake, ka mōteatea ake ki a Kōhine mā, ki a Tuini Ngāwai mā, ki a Ngoi Pēwhairangi mā ki roto i ō rātou wā, ki a Dovey, ki a rātou, i ō rātou wā, ko ō rātou tauira, ko rātou e rongohia ana e tātou, e waiatahia ana e tātou, ki te hunga e ora ana, kei konei tonu tātou, me koutou hoki, te hunga rangatahi, kia rongo mātou, te hunga kua āhua piko haere ngā tuarā. Kia rongo atu i ā koutou pā manawa, ahakoa kua hakaia, ahakoa kua waiatahia. Engari kia rongohia atu, kia pai ai te kōrero a te rangatahi ki te hunga pakeke.”

I te tau 1988 ka titoa e Hirini ngā waiata mō te pikitia Mauri, i runga anō i te tono a Merata Mita.

Me hoki ki te āhua o te takoto o ana kupu i ana waiata. I kī a Hirini he whakapono ia ki tēnei mea te haiku, o Hapani, he ruriruri poto. He mea e mōhiotia ana te waiata poto i te ao Māori, ko ngā ruriruri tērā, ko ngā pao tērā, i te ao waiata Māori tuku iho. He waiata aroha poto ētahi, he waiata kōingo, hokinga mahara, tae atu ki ngā waiata tamariki. Ko tā Hirini ki tētahi kaiuiui i a ia, ‘ka kore e whakaahuatia te whakaaro i roto i te whā rārangi, hei aha te tito waiata’. Ko nga waiata tuatahi i titoa e ia he waiata mā te tamariki, mō te aotūroa i tupu ake ai ia i roto, mō ngā manu, mō ngā rākau, me tōna āhua, me te tū o te wairua o te taiao, he rerekē i tētahi rangi, he rerekē i tētahi.

Mai rā anō, he kaingākau a Hirini ki ngā taonga pūoro a ngā tīpuna, me tana kī, “ka oho katoa taku hinengaro i te tirohanga ki ērā taonga e takoto ngū ana i roto i ngā pouaka whare taonga.” Ka puta tana kī, i haere ia ki tētahi wānanga tārei taonga pūoro, ā, i reira ka rongo i te oro i puta i ētahi o aua taonga.

Mai o taua wā, ka tīmata tana mahi tahi me Richard Nunns ki te waihanga, ki te whakatangitangi i ngā taonga pūoro Māori tuku iho, pēnei i te kōauau, i te pūtorino, i te pūrerehua, i te karangaweka, i te poi āwhiowhio, me te nguru, arā atu, arā atu. I kōpikopiko haere rāua ko Nunns i te motu, he whakatangitangi i ētahi kōnohete, ā, ka tōia mai te ao Māori, a tauiwi hoki, ki roto i te ao whakamīharo o te oro o ngā taonga nei. I whakaputaina e rātou tētahi kāpuinga pūoro taketake, a Toiapiapi, kei roto ko ngā taonga pūoro Māori o nehe, i te tau 1991. I tae ake au ki tētahi wānanga mō ngā taonga pūoro i Ōtaki i te tau 1992, ā, nā  Hirini i āwhina taku tārei i tētahi kōauau kōiwi kau, nāna hoki au i āta tohutohu mō te wā roa, me kore e puta mai tētahi tangi i ahau.

I te tau 1990 i te whakaako a Hirini i te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, ā, ka pōwhiritia a Richard Nunns e ia kia haere mai ki te āta rangahau i ngā taonga pūoro Māori i tōna taha. He Pākehā a Richard, he kaiwhakatangitangi mai i tōna tamarikitanga, he whānau whakatangitangi tōna, he tangata tino matatau ki te whakatangi taonga parāhe, me ngā pūtōrino a tauiwi. I kawea mai e ia ōna pūkenga, ōna hiringa, me tōna whatumanawa ki tō rāua mahi takiruatanga. I whānau mai tētahi huinga pūoro hou i tēnei piringa, me kōrero rā te kāpuinga Te Kū me te Whē, i puta ki te ao i te tau 1994. Ko ngā kupu e rua nei, te kū me te whē, he kupu Māori tawhito mō tēnei mea te oro, kei ngā whakapapa o te takenga mai o te ao, o te kore, o te pō, o te rā, o te marama. 

Kua tuhia e Kirsten Johnstone ngā kōrero mō te mīharo a Steve Garden, te rangatira o Rattle Records ki te reinga mai o te rīpene nei e te marea:

“I pēnei au kotahi anō te momo hunga ka hiahia ki tēnei rīpene, ko ngā mātanga mātai pūoro o ngā iwi o te ao, me tētahi rōpū meroiti o ngā kairangahau whare wānanga. Engari i rorotu katoa aua waiata rā ki te tini, ka noho hei puna mō te ao waiata.”

I hopukina ngā waiata o te kāpuinga i roto i te rā me te hāwhe, koia hoki te rēkoata tuatahi rawa a Rattle Records, i te marama o Hune 1994. Ka hokona e ia ētahi kape 12,000, ā, ka tapā he rēkoata kōura i te tau 2003. E 25 tau ki muri e noho tonu ana hei taumata arearenga taringa mō te oro o ngā taonga puoro. Mai i tērā rā tonu ka pakaru mai te tangi o ngā taonga pūoro ki te ao nui, ki te pouaka whakaata, ki ngā waiata o ngā pikitia, ki te ao waiata whakarawerawe, ki te reo irirangi anō hoki.

I torotoro a Hirini i ngā rohe katoa, ki ngā ahurei, ā, ka tae ki ngā rā nunui, i ōna rā katoa, ki te whakahoki i te reo karanga, i te reo tangi atu ki a ia kia tautokona a mea iwi, a mea marae, a mea āhuatanga. Kāore he tirotiro, kāore he whiriwhiri. Nāwai ā, ka eke ki ngā taumata o te ao whare wānanga, ā, ka nohoia e ia te tūranga Ahorangi i te Tari o Te Mātauranga Māori, o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa hoki i te Whare Wānanga o Waikato.

I te tau 2002 i whiwhi a Hirini i tētahi Tākutatanga Hōnore i te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. I whiwhi hoki ia i te Tohu Tiketike o Te Waka Toi mō ana mahi whakamīharo mō ngā toi me te ahurea Māori. Ka pāngia a Hirini e te mate pukupuku, ā, ka mate i te tau 2003. Kotahi marama i mua i tōna matenga ka tohua ia hei Āpiha o te New Zealand Order of Merit mō āna mahi rangatira mō te ao pūoro, mō te reo me te ahurea Māori. I muia te marae i Rūātoki i tōna tangihanga. E te rangatira Hirini, okioki mai rā.

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English version