AIR NEW  ZEALAND
TV AD * SONG

Awhi Reinga
Two tunes composed by Jim Hall 2006, 2007

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Air New Zealand "Amazing Journeys" TV advertising song

Māku e ringiringi kīaka1 o roimata,
Ara e ahu ana ki te kāinga

Kai te manatu au mo te whenua
O ōku tīpuna ki te kāinga

Ka tawhiti atu te kaiwhakamārie,2
I tōku wairua. Aue, hoki mai!

Kāore e taea te huna
I āku manako mō te kāinga, aue!


E awhi reinga,3
E awhi tāua.

I will pour out jugfuls of tears
on the trail that leads to home

I am homesick for the land
of the old people of my village

Far away is the comforter
of my soul. Alas, come back to me!

I cannot hide
my longing for home, aue!


We embrace with the spirits
 when we embrace each other.
Hall's 2007 "C&W tune" sung by Boh Runga.
Hall's 2006 "Enya tune" sung by Jayne Elleson Budai.

A Māku e ringiringi D kīak'o roimata,
C Ara e ahu ana D ki te kāinga

C E awhi re-D-inga,
C E aw-D-hi tāu-A-a.

 

1 Kaiaka

The Air NZ website gives "Kaiaku roimata" but this is not in any other Maori text. Kaiaku is the Japanese word for "deteriorate."

In Maori, when two vowels are not separated by a consonant, the first vowel is usually not pronounced. So on this video the phrase "Kaiaka o roimata"is sung as "kaiak'o roimata."

2 Biblical Quotation

These lyrics paraphrase the Holy Bible's Book of Lamentations, chapter 1, verse 16.
Tarere ana te wai o toku kanohi:
no te mea kei tawhiti atu i ahau te kaiwhakamarie
hei whakahauora ake i toku wairua. 		My eye runs down with water;
because far from me is the comforter
who should refresh my soul.


3 Embraced by our loved ones

This is said to be an ancient saying about the gathering and communion of people. The phrase E awhi reinga is also a quote from Moe Hurihuri, which Hema composed early in the 19th century after her European husband Spencer was drowned. The Ngati Maniapoto schooner he was the master of went down during a crossing from Kawhia to Sydney.
Ki te makau ra, e moea iho
E awhi reinga ana i raro ra
Ka hewa au, e koro, kai te ao, i. 		To a dear one, who only in dreams
comes to embrace me in spirit land
Often I thought, dearest one, it was in the flesh

Hema's Lament is of course the inspiration for Hokihoki Tonu Mai, the 1918 lament for bereaved wives of WW1 soldiers.


Composer

The Air NZ Amazing Journeys tunes were composed in 2006 by Jim Hall, of Soundtrax, Auckland.

Jim's idea was to create a piece that sounded a bit Gaelic but used Maori words.

Soundtrax choose Jayne Ellison (now Jayne Ellison Budai) for her evocative voice. Ngatapa Black was the adviser who made sure Jayne's phasing and pronunciation were correct.

There were three 90-second commercials and each one used two of the four verses of the song.

The 2008 ads have Boh Runga singing the same lyrics, but using a tune, also composed by Jim Hall, with more beat and using simple major chords.

The TV video was shot by Richard Gibson who also did the Pokarekare Ana Air New Zealand advert.

The person responsible for the idea was Steve Cochran at Colenso BBDO.

Song Writer?

Were these words composed recently for Air New Zealand? Or is this an old East Coast composition - Tuini Ngawai???

Fear of flying?

These Air NZ adverts are done as awhi-reinga, the dreams we have of being detached from our work-world, and of cuddling close to an absent loved one.

But terrain-hugging flight is a nightmare for most people, a point emphasised in this parody of the first Awhi Reinga advert.

 

 

 

Draft version on Folksong.org.nz in Sept 2008
© 2008 by John Archer