Loopy Tunes encourages everyone to give te reo Māori a go with new waiata ‘Kia Kaha Kōrero Mai’

The duo, sisters Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington (Ngāpuhi, Tonga) invites whānau and educators to kōrero Māori with an interactive way of learning Māori vowel sounds to keep the language alive and thriving. Siu Williams-Lemi, who wrote the waiata, says ‘’Kia Kaha Kōrero Mai’ is about normalising te reo Māori in every household around Aotearoa - starting with our youngest tamariki - by encouraging listeners to learn karakia, waiata and kōrero Māori. “It's a fun, catchy, earworm of a waiata that will help anyone raising or teaching young Kiwi kids to give te reo Māori a go,” she says. The duo’s passion for sharing te reo Māori and reo rua waiata began fifteen years ago, with weekly bilingual language classes they provided for their community. Those classes continue today, a testament to the sisters’ ongoing commitment to giving back. Leah Williams-Partington says the waiata is exactly what Loopy Tunes represents. “Our kaupapa has always been to share our waiata and improve access to te reo Māori for the next generation. We encourage both Māori and Tangata Tiriti to get involved. Te reo Māori is a language for everyone,” she says. Across their career, Loopy Tunes has created a range of language learning resources, including more than 180 waiata across 10 different Pacific languages, and a Rainbow Book Collection of bilingual picture books. ‘Kia Kaha Kōrero Mai’ is made with the support of NZ On Air and is available now on all major streaming platforms.