(Kua eke mai nei) Kua eke mai nei ki runga te marae e
(Mauria mai rā) Mauria mai rā e ngā mate o te motu e
(Me ngā tini roimata) Me ngā tini roimata e maringi whānui e
(Titiro e ngā iwi) Titiro e ngā iwi e ngā mahi o te motu e hora atu nei e
(Rū ana te whenua) Rū ana te whenua, whatiwhati te moana
(Auē te aroha) Auē te aroha te mamae i ahau e x2
Rū ana te whenua whatiwhati hei!
Our tribe is calling to the people who have just set foot on this marae Bring with you the memories of all our dead and so many tears spilling forth nation-wide.
Look at our people working across the land spread out far and wide Shaking is the ground, quivering is the sea. Oh, the love and the pain within me.
The ground shakes and quivers, yeah!
This waiata is a combination of two powerful waiata — "Ngā Iwi E" by Hirini Melbourne (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu) and "Auē te Aroha" by Moe Ruka (Ngāti Rangi, Whanganui). Their meaning is grounded in calls of unity, mourning, and aroha. "Ngā Iwi E" was composed in 1984 as a karanga to the peoples of the Pacific and Aotearoa, urging iwi to rise together in strength and identity. It speaks to the upheaval of land and sea, carrying with it the weight of shared sorrow and the need for collective awareness. "Auē te Aroha" weaves into that grief — expressing the pain felt deep within, as tears fall for those who have passed, and aroha surrounds the mamae. Together, these waiata call us to witness, to remember, and to stand as one in times of hardship.
