Forty years after Pātea Māori Club hit Poi E was written, the legacy continues for generations to come

Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a song heard around the world that became a symbol of hope for a southern Taranaki iwi.

Poi E was written on August 12, 1982, when Ngāti Ruanui was told that they would not survive the closure of their main employer.

“At the time, the community relied on the Pātea meat factory as the main source of employment for our people,” Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said at Saturday’s meeting in Pariroa Marae in Kakaramea.

“However, its closure in 1982 caused significant social hardship for our whānau, meaning most had to move to more urban cities, while others struggled considerably.”

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Chicky Hopkins, who sang on the Poi E album, and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were in South Taranaki's Pariroa Marae on Saturday to celebrate 40 years since Poi E was written.

LISA BURD/Things

Chicky Hopkins, who sang on the Poi E album, and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were in South Taranaki’s Pariroa Marae on Saturday to celebrate 40 years since Poi E was written.

“At the time, we were collectively all but smashed,” Ngarewa-Packer said. “We were split up for the first time since the confiscation era, so it (Poi E) was hugely important.”

Written by Maui Dalvanius Prime and Ngoi Peiwhairangi, Poi E was recorded by the Pātea Māori Club and became a hit in 1984, topping the charts and leading to the Pātea Māori Club touring the UK and giving a Royal Command Performance.

“It meant more to us than winning a prize. It represented our ability to hold on to each other when hope was taken away from us.”

About 500 people attended the gathering, celebrating the songs of the Pātea Maori Club.

“We have the next generation of the Pātea Māori Club,” said Ngarewa-Packer, “and all the young people who have gone out and founded all these kapa haka groups across the country, and they have come together with descendants and their groups to Learn Pātea Māori Club songs.”

Ngāti Ruanui whānau gathered from around the North Island to celebrate and teach the songs of the Pātea Māori Club.

LISA BURD/Things

Ngāti Ruanui whānau gathered from around the North Island to celebrate and teach the songs of the Pātea Māori Club.

Among the participants were representatives of about five kapa haka groups in the North Island who came from the Pātea Māori Club.

Those teaching the marae on Saturday were the “little ones” seen before the waka in the original Poi E music video, Ngarewa-Packer said.

Haimona Maruera, who was part of the team organizing the event, said it was important that their taonga, their stories, were not lost.

“The more people know and hear the stories, the livelier it is. The songs tell the history, the whakapapa and subjects of the day, of the time, the battle and how they fought the battle.”

Laura Marurea, Simona Marurea, Huia Davis, Melva Tucker

LISA BURD/Things

Laura Marurea, Simona Marurea, Huia Davis, Melva Tucker

There were many families, generational groups, who hadn’t been home for a happy occasion for a long time, he said.

Chicky Hopkins was 16 years old when she sang number 14 on the Poi E album.

The song was very inclusive, Hopkins said,

“Many non-Māori were also credited with Poi E’s success, including then-mayor Norm Mckay, the Lions club and the butcher.”

About five kapa haka groups, with roots in the Pātea Māori Club, came from around the North Island.

LISA BURD/Things

About five kapa haka groups, with roots in the Pātea Māori Club, came from around the North Island.

Pātea Māori Club President Laura Maruera said they were proud of the legacy, the story of which was later told in a documentary, Poi E: The Story of Our Songreleased in theaters in 2016.

”It’s fantastic. It passes from one generation to another. Our mokopuna are learning the songs. It has passed to the next generation. We feel very privileged to be here to see this happen.”

Huia Davis, one of the “originals,” said when they made the record that they had no idea of ​​the impact Poi E would have.

“It was overwhelming.”

And while it was “fantastic fun” to record the song, Davis laughs at the memory of Prime, who died in 2002, “growling” at them to get the sound he wanted.

“He was a blessing to us.”