Hinewehi Mohi

Dame Hinewehi Mohi (born 1964) is a New Zealand musician and producer, best known for her double-platinum album Oceania and its lead single "Kotahitanga (Union)", performing the New Zealand National Anthem in Māori during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and as a producer for the 2019 Māori language compilation album Waiata / Anthems.

As a television producer, Mohi has worked to produce television programmes such as Mōteatea and Marae DIY.

Early life

Mohi was born in Waipukurau in the Hawke's Bay Region, New Zealand, and is of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tūhoe descent. She attended St Joseph's Māori Girls' College in Taradale, New Zealand, later receiving a BA in Māori from the University of Waikato in 1985, where she was heavily involved with kapa haka groups.

Career

Mohi began working as a television producer in the mid-1980s, focusing on Māori-related content. Mohi's first album, Oceania, was released in 1999, and was a success, becoming double platinum certified in New Zealand. This proved to be a turning point, sparking a national conversation about cultural identity and the first language of New Zealand, and is the reason why the anthem has begun to be sung bilingually since the early 2000s.

Mohi produced and curated the 2019 album Waiata / Anthems, a compilation album released for te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), where popular New Zealand musicians re-recorded their songs in Māori. Due to the success of the album, the project was revived in 2021, becoming Waiata Anthems Week, an annual celebration of music recorded in Te Reo Māori.

As a member of APRA, Mohi mentors musicians to promote the development of Māori music.

Honours and recognition Mohi was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2008 Birthday Honours for her services to Māori.

In 2015, Mohi was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Waikato.

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Mohi was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori, music and television.

Mohi was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and celebrated at the Aotearoa Music Awards on 30 May 2024, in recognition of her ongoing contributions to the revitalisation of te reo Māori.

Personal life

Mohi's daughter was born in 1996.

Released: September 1999 Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZ "Kia Ū" 1992 — "The Myth" 1993 46 "Kotahitanga" 1999 —Oceania "Pukaea" 2000 — "Anchor Me" 2005 3 "Matariki (Te Whetū o Te Tau)" 2010 — "Not Given Lightly" 2012 — "Āta Tū Mai" 2019 — "Te Kore" 2021 — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart.