Kōhine Pōnika

Kōhine Tewhakarua Pōnika (; 28 June 1920 – 25 November 1989) was a New Zealand composer known for her Māori waiata (songs).

Early life and family Pōnika was born in Ruatoki on 28 June 1920, where she attended Ruatoki Native School and Hukarere Girls' College. Her father was a clergyman and she was one of eight children, descended from Ngāti Porou on her father's side and Tūhoe on her mother's side. She has said she loved singing from an early age. and they adopted seven children together.

Career Pōnika wrote waiata (songs) in both te reo Māori (the Māori language) and English. In 1969 she won an award for original Māori Songs and Lyrics in the NZBC Cook Bi-Centenary Celebration Competition. She had been predeceased by her husband in 1984.

In 2009, her whānau (family) launched a ten-track CD of her waiata, titled Ka Haku Au – A Poet's Lament. It inspired a documentary of the same name about her life and career featuring members of her whānau, directed by Ngahuia Wade. The documentary was aired on Māori Television and won Best Māori Language Show at the 2009 Qantas Film and Television Awards.