Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
With expressive and thoughtful taonga puoro playing from Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui, John Allison’s poem is set to Pieta Hextall’s music. At times meditative and at times uplifting, the work expresses the beauty of nature and how we as people can interact with it.
We gather beneath the mountain asking how to be together in this land
Out of the mists of morning that wreath the living bones of this body bearing us
Through the open spaces of the world, we hear the words:
Ko te whenua ko te tangata he kawai kotahi
From the sea unto the sky, singing
The land and the people are woven together as one
We gather beside the river asking how to be together in this land
Out of the mists of the evening that move on the living waters
Within the braided currents if time, we hear the words:
Ko au te Awa, ko te awa ko au
We gather with the people asking how to be together in this land
Out of the brightness of day that illumines the living body of humanity
Aware of this presence amongst us we hear the words:
Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au
From each other to the other, we are stories and those stories are us.
Performed by the Jubilate Singers, conductor Philip Norman at The Piano, 24 August 2025.
Audio recorded by Alex van den Broek. Filmed and edited by Chris Watson for SOUNZ. Film funded by NZ On Air.
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Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
With expressive and thoughtful taonga puoro playing from Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui, John Allison’s poem is set to Pieta Hextall’s music. At times meditative and at times uplifting, the work expresses the beauty of nature and how we as people can interact with it.
We gather beneath the mountain asking how to be together in this land
Out of the mists of morning that wreath the living bones of this body bearing us
Through the open spaces of the world, we hear the words:
Ko te whenua ko te tangata he kawai kotahi
From the sea unto the sky, singing
The land and the people are woven together as one
We gather beside the river asking how to be together in this land
Out of the mists of the evening that move on the living waters
Within the braided currents if time, we hear the words:
Ko au te Awa, ko te awa ko au
We gather with the people asking how to be together in this land
Out of the brightness of day that illumines the living body of humanity
Aware of this presence amongst us we hear the words:
Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au
From each other to the other, we are stories and those stories are us.
Performed by the Jubilate Singers, conductor Philip Norman at The Piano, 24 August 2025.
Audio recorded by Alex van den Broek. Filmed and edited by Chris Watson for SOUNZ. Film funded by NZ On Air.
--
Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
