Hirini Melbourne

About Hirini Melbourne

Hirini Melbourne was the composer, ethnomusicologist, and University of Waikato lecturer who taught a generation of New Zealanders how to sing in te reo Māori. His simple, school-friendly waiata circulated through classrooms and kapa haka groups across the country and became the canonical settings of dozens of traditional Māori texts. With Richard Nunns he revived nearly forgotten traditional instruments through the Te Ku Te Whe project.