The Sounds of Silo

16 September 2024

Wynyard Quarter
News

Council choir performs in Silo 6

Eke Panuku is delighted to be able to share a video of the Auckland Council choir singing in our beautiful Silo 6 space in Wynyard Quarter.

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This performance was in support of Tātaki Unlimited Auckland-led World Choir Games which was held across some of our waterfront spaces recently. We are sharing the video to commemorate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/ Māori Language Week. The Waiata they are singing celebrates the ‘treasure and wreath (a crown)’ that is te reo Māori, and its revitalisation.

The council choir was formed by Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, an avid chorister and accomplished musician. The choir performed the beautiful Waiata in Silo 6 – which is renowned for its cathedral-like acoustics.

Eke Panuku is grateful to the council choir and the Deputy Mayor for collaborating on this special project.

Please see the following translation for this special Waiata:

A treasure handed down from the ancestors
It's a wreath (a crown) a significant thing
My language, my inspiration, a treasured jewel
Speak the language at all times
So as not to be (extinct) like the Moa
The prestige of the people, the right of self-determination
My language, my inspiration, a treasured jewel
Here is the matter of the Māori language

A treasure handed down from the ancestors
It's a wreath (a crown), a significant thing
My language, my inspiration, a treasured jewel
Speak the language at all times
So as not to be (extinct) like the Moa
The prestige of the people, the right of self-determination
My language, my inspiration, a treasured jewel
My language, my inspiration, a treasured jewel