Over a period of forty years Sir Apirana Ngata, distinguished leader and scholar, collected and recorded hundreds of songs and chants from the iwi of Aotearoa, which became the four volumes of Ngā Mōteatea, with translations and annotations by Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui Jones. 

This is the second volume of a new edition of this national treasure, the largest and most comprehensive collection of Māori waiata and a unique contribution to New Zealand poetry. It is a rich resource for continuing research and scholarship in many fields, offers prime texts in the teaching of Māori language, literature and tribal history and serves as inspiration for contemporaryy composition and performance. 

This completely redesigned and reset edition published in association with the Polynesian Society, preserves the integrity of Ngata’s and Pei’s and their commentary. Long vowels in Māori have been macronised and changes have been made to conform to current usage with correction of errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. Typography has been modernised. This edition also includes two audio CDs of waiata drawn from the Archive of Māori and Pacific Music at the University of Auckland.

Author

More about Apirana Ngata and translator Pei Te Hurinui Jones

Reviews

This magnificent new edition of the first of four volumes of waiata is a huge and welcome improvement on the facsimile editions produced in the 1970s . . . not only are the texts clear but also the book is of the finest, user-friendly quality: Chunky, smooth and great to look at. But the greatest bonus would have to be the inclusion of two CDs containing recordings of 52 of the 90 songs recorded in Part One. – Mick Ludden, Wairarapa Times Age