Overview
Opening the Auckland Arts Festival in the most Kiwi way possible, Tira is a free, 45-minute waiata session hosted by New Zealand powerhouse voices Ria Hall, Stan Walker, Troy Kingi and Maisey Rika.
Ria Hall is Māori singer and TV presenter who became interested in singing through her kapa haka group in high school. She sang at opening ceremony of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and in 2012 won the Best Māori Album award at the New Zealand Music Awards. Stan Walker launched into fame in 2009 when he won the seventh and last Australian Idol. His debut song 'Black Box' was nominated for the Most Popular Australian Single at the ARIA Music Awards and won him the Radioplay Record of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. Since then Walker has released four more albums, supported Beyonce and Nicki Minaj on tour, hosted X Factor and acted in films like Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Troy King and Maisey Rika have collaborated with Ria Hall and Stan Walker in the past on the song 'Aotearoa', which peaked at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart in 2014.
All attendees are encouraged to sing along to the same waiata songbook.