Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Taranaki
“Kei a Te Pō Te Timatatanga o Te Waiatatanga mai a Te Atua, Ko te Ao, Ko Te Ao Mārama, Ko Te Ao Tūroa. “
I whānau mai a Horomona Horo i te tau 1978, ā, i tipu ake ia i ngā tōpito maha o Aotearoa. Kei te mōhio whānuitia a Horomona Horo mō ōna mahi i roto i te ao puoro. He pia nā Hirini Melbourne rāua ko Richard Nunns, ā, kua tupu ake a Horo hei tohunga whakatangi tāonga pūoro.
Ko Horo tētahi o te tokomaha o te iwi Māori kāore i tupu ake i roto i te reo. I tupu kē ki roto i ngā ringa tūkino o Whiro. Koia te tamaiti tuawhitu o tōna whānau, ā, he whānau pōhara anō hoki. Nā ōna mātua ia i whāngai atu ki ngā kāinga o ōna matua me ōna whāea. Ka kuraina ia ki ngā kura 16 i tōna tamarikitanga tainoa ki tōna taiohitanga. I tukua ia mai a Cannon’s Creek ki Tūrangi, ki Te Kura o Raukura (Rotorua Boys High School), kātahi ki Northland College, 15 tōna pakeke. I ā ia i Northland College, i whakatau ngā kaiako rā he moumou wā, he moumou rauemi a Horo, me te whakaaro ake ka riro ia e te whareherehere. Nā tēnei, i panaia ia i te kura, ā, koia tōna kura whakamutunga. Ka mutu, i riro a Horo ki ngā tiriti.
Ka haere te wā, ka whakahoahoa atu ia ki tētahi rōpu rangatahi ki Kaikohe, ā, ko Te Ohonga Ake tō rātou ingoa. Nā rātou a Horo i pōwhiri ki tētahi hui rangatahi ki Moria Marae ki Whirinaki. I konei i ako ia i ngā mahi mau rākau, i tōna tauparapara tuatahi (he mea tuku nā ngā koroua o Hokianga) me ngā kēmu pēnei ki te ‘hipitoitoi’ me te ‘hei mata tū tama’. Mīharo katoa ia i ngā kuia me ngā koroua e whakahaere ana i tēnei kaupapa. Ahakoa tō rātou totitoti haere, i taiohi anō te āhua o te tinana i roto i ēnei kēmu. I kite ia i tō rātou ngākau nui ki te ao Māori, ō rātou wairua whakataetae me ō rātou ngākau mahaki i roto i ēnei mahi me ēnei kēmu. Nā tēnei āhua, ka whakatau a Horo, me whakatōhia e ia ēnei āhuatanga ki roto i ā ia anō. I konei i tō ai te kākano ki roto i a Horo kia whai i tana taha Māori.
Heoi, i te rongo tonu ia i te ngau o pōuri, i te ahi o riri. I tau ki runga i ā ia ētahi whakaaro heahea hei ara e ea ai te mamae me te pōuri, engari i whai rongoā anō ia. Nā te uru atu ki ētahi rōpū rangatahi i whai oranga ai tōna hinengaro me tōna wairua. I pēwhea rā? I whakakikī ia i ā ia anō ki ngā rongoā Māori pēnei ki te mātauranga Māori. Waihoki, i roto i ō rātou haerenga me ō rātou mahi i pupuri a Horo i te pūtātāra me te kōauau mō te wā tuatahi. Nā ngā reo tangi o ēnei taonga pūoro i pupuri i tōna riri, ōna āwangawanga, ngā kare-ā-roto kawa i roto i ā ia.
I te putanga mai o te kohinga waiata rā o ‘Te Kū Te Whē’ nā Hirini Melbourne rāua ko Richard Nunns, i tangi hotuhotu ia i tōna rongo i ngā tangi o ngā taonga puoro rā me tōna rongo i ngā pūrākau e whakaora ai i te tangata. Ko Hirini Melboune te heamana tuatahi o Pūatatangi, he kōmiti ki raro i a Toi Māori Aotearoa e aro ana ki te whakanui me te tautoko i ngā kaiwaiata me ngā kaiwhakatangi Māori. Nā rāua ko Richard i whakarauora (whakahaumanu) i ngā taonga pūoro i mua tata mai o tōna ngaronga.
I tutaki a Horo ki a Hirini rāua ko Richard i te tau 2001 ki te kaupapa hirahira rā a National Concerto Competition. I whakatūria he wāhanga mō ngā kaiwhakatangi taonga pūoro Māori mō taua tau, ā, i uru a Horo ki tēnei whakataetae. Mutunga iho, i puta te ihu o Horo, ā, ka whakaihuwaka i roto i te whakataetae. I titiro ia ki ngā taonga pūoro a Hirini rāua ko Richard i whakatakotoria ki mua i a ia, ā, ka hoki āna mahara ki ngā pukapuka me ngā kohinga waiata taonga puoro nā ēnei tokorua. Kikī katoa a Horo ki te hari me te koa!
Kua āta raranga a Horo i ngā taonga puoro ki tōna ao, tae atu ki te whānautanga mai o āna tamariki ki tōna hoa wahine a Regan Balzer. He ringa toi a Regan mō Te Ātinga, he kōmiti anō ki raro i a Toi Māori Aotearoa e aro ana ki ngā mahi toi ataata. Ia te wā ka whakawhānau pēpi a Regan, ka rere ngā reo whakatangitangi o ngā taonga pūoro a Horo me ngā karakia Māori kia rangona tuatahitia ēnei reo e ā rāua tamariki. Tē aro i a Horo mehemea he āhuatanga Māori terā, he aha rānei, engari i whai atu ia i te wairua o taua wā. Mutunga iho, ko te taonga pūoro ia i āwhina ki te whakaora i ā ia anō me tōna whānau.
Kua whai wāhi nui a Horo ki roto i ngā mahi o Pūatatangi. I te tau 2001, i uru ia ki te kaupapa o Toi Māori, a Pao! Pao! Pao! i tū ki Waikato. He kaupapa a Pao! Pao! Pao! nā Hirini mā i whakarite hei huihuinga mō ngā kaiwaiata me ngā kaiwhakatangitangi Māori ki te whakaatu i a rātou anō mahi. I tū anō ia ki te whakatangi i ōna tāonga i te Māori Art Market, hei whakaratarata i te minenga, i te tau 2011.
Ko ia hoki tētahi o ngā kaiako ki roto i te kaupapa o Pao! Pao! Pao! Tuakana Teina ki te taha o Tama Waipara, Ngatapa Black, Maisey Rika, RobRuha, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi, Magik Paora me Seth Haapu i te tau 2014. I whakaritea a Pao! Pao! Pao! Tuakana Teina hei kaupapa whakakotahi i ngā rangatira me ngā tauhou o te ao waiata Māori, kia piki ngā pūkenga tito waiata, pūkenga reo waiata, pūkenga whakatairangi o ēnei tauhou. Ko Horo mā ngā kaiako o ngā tino kaiwaiata Māori o inaianei, pēnei ki a Pere Wihongi, Awatea Wihongi, Te Karehana Toi-Garderer (Teeks). Nā runga i ōna mahi me tōna whai wāhi ki ngā kaupapa o Pūatatangi, i pōwhiritia ia ki te kōmiti o Pūatatangi, kātahi ia ka tū hei heamana ki te taha o Toni Huata. I te wā nei, koia te heamana o Pūatatangi.
Anei ētahi kaupapa nā Horo i whakareka me ōna tāonga pūoro i ngā tau kua pahure.
2001: I toa i te whakataetae Dynasty Heritage Concerto – kua whākina kētia
2007: I tū ki te rā whakamahara 90 tau o te pakanga o Passchendaele,
2013: I tū ki te Singapore Grand Prix ki te taha o Rihanna, Tom Jones, Justin Bieber me Bob Geldof
2013: I tū tahi rāua ko Josh Rogers ki Konvergencie Festivals ki Kosice, Slovakia
2013: I tū anō rāua ko Josh Rogers ki te World Music Expo ki Cardiff, Wales
2024: Whakawhiwhia ki te Pūmanawa APRA Silves Scroll Award
2024: Whakawhiwhia ki te Laureate Award
Haerere haere a Horo ki te taha o ‘Moana and the Tribe’ me Canti Māori ki ngā tōpito o te ao waiata ai, whakatangi pūoro ai. Kua nui hoki ōna mahi ki te taha o ētahi atu pēnei ki a Nga Tae, te NZTrio, Paul Lewis, Gareth Farr, Ross Harris, Luca Manghi, Fat Freddy’s Drop me Maisey Rika.
I te wā nei, kei te ūpoko pakarū a Horo ki roto i te rōpū a Haumanu Collective. He rōpū tēnei e kawe ana i ngā mātāpono me ngā mahi o ētahi pēnā ki a Hiniri Melbourne me Richard Nunn kia whakarauora i ngā mahi taonga pūoro, ā, ko Horo tētahi o ngā tangata matua o te rōpū nei.
I kawe tonu ia i ōna mātauranga ki te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, haere tonu ki ngā Kura Kaupapa, timata ai ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamatā, noho pūmau atu ai ki Te Koutu i Rotorua. Whakawhiti atu ki Mana Tamariki, ki Te Rito. Ko ōna kaupapa ako ki ēnei kura ko ngā mahi taonga pūoro me ngā kēmu Māori. Kei ngā kura kaupapa o te motu tētahi wāhanga o tōna whatumanawa, mē ngā wharekura o te motu. Koia nei tētahi o āna ake ara ki te tuku i ōna māramatanga me ōna mātauranga o tō tātou ao Māori ki a tātou tamariki.
I tēnei wā, kei te tū ia hei ahorangi tūhono ki Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa (Massey University). Ko āna akoranga e aro ana ki te whakataki i ngā kaupapa taonga pūoro, te āta arohaehae i ngā waiata tawhito me ngā waiata hou me tewhakaako i ngā tauira ki te tito i ō rātou ake reo whakatangi pūoro . Koia nei te tohu tuatahi o ngā whare wānanga o te motu e aro ana ki te mātauranga toi Māori. Kei te kite ināianei te hua o ōna whakapau werawera ki te tuku i ōna mōhiotanga ki a tātou.
Nā tōna kawe i ngā mahi a Hirini rāua ko Richard, arā te whakarauora i tēnei mea te tāonga pūoro, kua ora rawa mai ngā taonga pūoro i a Horo. Nā Hirini rāua ko Richard te kākano i whakatō, ā, nā Horo i pua ai te rākau. Ahakoa ngā pēhitanga me ngā taumahatanga i taka ki runga i a ia hei tamaiti, kei te koke whakamua tonu ia. Kua noho tūwhera tōna ngākau ki te hari, ki te koa, ki te aroha, arā kua ngākau nui, kua ngākau māhaki ia.
Nui tonu ngā mahi kei mua i te aroaro mānā, mēnā e hāngai ana ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, ki roto o Haumanu Collective, ki roto i te kōmiti rā o Pūatatangi rānei. Heoi, kei te hikaka ia ki te hoki ki a ia anō, ki te noho tau me te tito waiata. Kātahi te tou tīrairaka!
Works Cited:
Husband, D. (2016). Maisey Rika: You carry on until there’s nothing there. E_Tangata. https://e-tangata.co.nz/arts/maisey-rika-you-carry-on-until-theres-nothing-there/
(2024). Laureate Award. The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. https://www.thearts.co.nz/awards/laureate-award
(2024). Horomona Horo. The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. https://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/horomona-horo
(2024). Moving pōhiri welcomes arts laureate Horomona Horo to Massey. Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University. https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/moving-p%C5%8Dwhiri-welcomes-arts-laureate-horomona-horo-to-massey/
He tuhinga tēnei nā Huia Whakapūmau Winiata (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) Hongongoi 2025
