Voices together: harmony traditions in Aotearoa

Aotearoa is a country of singers. Walk past a church on a Sunday, a marae during a hui, or a school hall before prizegiving and you may hear people singing in parts, often without a single instrument.

Choirs from the ships

British settlers brought a tradition of singing together. Choirs formed on the ships sailing here, and choral societies were set up in the new towns, some of which still sing today. From the 1920s, 'community sings' brought whole towns together to sing rounds, folk songs and hymns, especially in hard times.

Māori choirs and action songs

In the 1840s and 1850s, Māori students at St John's College in Auckland learned to read music and sang English part-songs with great skill. Later, groups such as the Rotorua Maori Choir toured the country. In the early 1900s, leaders including Āpirana Ngata and Te Puea Hērangi helped create the waiata-ā-ringa (action song). Composer Tuini Ngāwai played the ukulele among many instruments, and guitars became the usual accompaniment from the mid-20th century.

Pacific church choirs

As families arrived from Sāmoa, Tonga and other Pacific nations, church choirs grew. Pacific choirs are known for powerful, many-part harmony, often learned by ear and passed from older singers to younger ones.

Close harmony and youth choirs

Learning songs with respect