Choralation choir from Westlake boys/girls school in Auckland, NZ performing Maunga e ole Atuolo arranged by Ieti MJ Leu'u at the Big Sing Finale 2013 in Dunedin
Wow!!!! First time ever watched it. Im an ex Westlaker from the 70s and im stunned. Westlake was so white when i attended and there wouldnt have been half a dozen polys in the whole boys school. This is good.
I was in the choir this year (I'm in the middle of the front row) and I still watch this performance every now and then and feel an enormous sense of pride and love for this song. This was probably the best moment for me of the four years that I was in the choir. We all went off stage and cried, especially since for me and many of my friends it was our last year - to know that it has been this well recieved by the Samoan community makes me even more proud and glad to have been a part of it. I'm glad we did you proud. Faʻafetai x
Y’all make me want to cry 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾this means so much to the culture to the people ..The way you guys brought this performance to a perfection with pride n heart I salute to you all you are Samoa ! My jaw dropped and you made the hair on the back of my neck raise up I damn near want to cry smh..The cold part about it it’s 2022 and I’m just now seeing this I’m ashamed but yet proud Sending y’all love from US California Bay Area SF “415 iLLaGE CamP”
You can barely see Samoa on a map and yet our culture reaches the mouths of kids from different parts of the world. I know they’re from nz but still pretty humbling to see Asians and Palagis showing out and killing every word and move. 👏🏽 cheehooo Malo le taumafai gi tamaiti ❤️
I'm just surprised that white, India, Asia, Polynesian all sing and dance to old Samoan songs. All you young men and women should be very proud of yourselfs. You all did an amazing job. Thank you From N Cal.
And this is why i love nz ! They say australia america canada and uk have diverse countries nahhh man NEW ZEALAND takes diversity to the next level .. we learn the native maori language and also asian, european and polynesian languages in schools. we have the biggest polynesians festival in the world and when you go to nz you will notice that every culture has their own communities and they are not small ones they are big communities, indians , chinese , samoans and other polynesian countries. I love beautiful nz! Its the best place to grow up!
I TOTALLY AGREED. THIS WAS AN AWESOME BEAUTIFUL COURAGEOUS PERFORMANCE I LOVE IT. ESPECIALLY KIDS ARE PROBOUNCING THE WORDS WELL. I COULD SEE THEM WHEN THEY ARE SINGING. THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE FROM SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (USA)
That’s mad respect when another school of all Polys give you that confirmation of “yeah you guys did that” to a school of non Polys Malo, Malo lava thank you for showing our Samoan and other poly cultures love and respect in the form of song and dance. Soifua
I've watched this vid so many times!!! It still brings tears to my eyes! So proud of NZ's diversity. And daang you would've thought this was an all Samoan church choir if you were just hearing it and not watching the vid!!!! So amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaziiiiiiinnnnngggg!!!!!!!!! :D
Man, just came across this. Truly amazing, totally unexpected not because you were singing Samoan songs, but because they were some of my late parent’s favourites. Love love love. I hope you are all still singing wherever you are. Fa’afetai lava Westlake. Much respect.
Love this but also makes me sad for the indigenous here in Australia. Australia is so backwards when it comes to accepting Aboriginal culture. At least in New Zealand you can watch people of different races perform a song/dance from another culture with respect and pride. Would never see a school of white Aussie kids do an Aboriginal performance and show it the respect it deserves. They would all look around and feel embarrassed. Well done New Zealand.
allikohcysp I've seen kids do an Aboriginal version of Waltzing Matilda... and my old choir did 'Ngarra Burra Ferra' from the Sapphires, and a version of Bob Dylan's "Release Me" that had been translated into PItjantjara... I'm all for spreading more cultural understanding of Indigenous Australia, but it is important we go about it the right way. Permissions granted and that kind of thing. I agree, there could be more done cross-culturally, but I think, Australians seem less inclined to sing chorally than NZ, particularly Maori and Polynesian cultures, and Australia is the poorer for it. The number and quality of choirs in the NZ Big Sing are incredible. It doesn't explain all of what you are talking about, but I think it does account for a significant part. I'd also point out there is a great Gondwana choir version of an Aceh song in Indonesia floating around...
Lets be honest, aussie has been a racist country, they wouldn't allow Polynesians into their country in the fifties but nz allowed them, and now aust. have a lot to make up for, they gotta start accepting someday.
From samoa, we love you and your whole school choir,,, mad upzz 2 u guys aye, thanks alot 4representing my peace of culture in your high school......xoxoxxxx
I keep watching this video 100 times,,and put tears in my eyes,seen these non Samoan blood performance,,great job,faafetai lava ,you guys rock my day and make me proud to be truly Samoan,,malo le tauivi malo le onosai
It gives me a warm feeling of appreciation to see and hear other people sing and dance our songs and dances so well...and these students perform it so well it amazes me. Great job and thanks for sharing it!! Appreciate it tremendously.
Love when people sing our songs with passion and dignity, truly amazing, shot Westlake love your singing, its been years but this always reminds me of my late parents, thank you.
O my gosh! Fantastic. I've watched it twice now and still have the same emotion. Elated with pride of how these boys and girls sang our Samoan songs so beautifully and much better than me. Congratulations to the music teacher and others involved. Fabulous NZ kids. Malo lava ma faafetai.
2021 and still banging this!! So much pride and passion. These students owe it to themselves seriously. It’s refreshing watching this performed with such gratitude. I can tell you now that salute at the 3:54 mark(lua pati Mai le shot Westlake) probably from another school who were Samoans was a sign of respect. Westlake you Done the Samoan community proud 🥲
I was one of the students who was in this performance, and yes it was! They were a bunch of the Pasifika lads from Dilworth (another school that had an incredible boys’ choir!).
I love to hear this group on a CD, I could play it over and over again in my car. What a beautiful blend of voices, I like this version better than any other, sounds so angelic. The group did a wonderful job with the pronounciations and the awesome voices to add The girls poise and grace took on those moves like they grew up with it. It was mind blowing to watch. And I love the young man who opened it with the Pati a, I thought he was a Samoan, so real. And the palagi young man at the end, now thats how you meant to do it.Thank you Westlake Girls and Boys, Faafetai lava, manaia le tapenaga. Ua malie mata e vaai. Le ole lea. The performance was absolutely flawless. Thank you for choosing to do SAMOAN medley and actions.
me too that palagi boy towards the end wow yes that's how you do it. they are all awesome. just touched my heart and got a bit teary 😭 but tears of joy 🏝️👍🇼🇸
Awesome performance! Malo lava :) Gave me goosebumps and made me smile throughout the whole video! Love seeing you guys enjoying learning our beautiful Samoan language and dancing. Well Done!
I never get sick of this performance, so proud to see other cultures embrace ours and treat it with such respect. shot Westlake! proud Kiwi proud Samoan
Great performance Westlake. Gives me tears in my own eyes to see none Samoans kids perform and sing our songs and dance so well. Very joyful to watch and they sing so well. Amazing and truly appreciate.
I sooo feel embarassed as a Samoan not knowing all the words...damn! You guys rock as real kiwis! Love the tone/tune! :-) I must take my hat off for your leader to teach such talented students...You all are so blessed! From Rewa Hard ways :-)
I love how this has the incorporation of Chorale singing and the fusion of Samoan Songs. Excellent job! And I'll admit as a Samoan myself; the pronunciations were/are way better than I could ever muster! Hah!
Sung so beautifully, I watched this so many times and still loving it....so proud of you Westlake Boys and Girls High, makes me appreciate my own cultural hymns and songs. You are the BEST
Quite amazingly beautiful. What a broad, diverse culture you seem to have in New Zealand (and keeping it alive)! Well done, from your cousins in the UK!
That's not awkward at all. I mean this is what they practice, in Samoa we sing for certain occasions. Even Samoan choirs don't have all the time in the world like people out of the island to practice singing. We are to busy doing chores and making things. Pls tell me you are Samoan otherwise you don't know nothing.
Oh wow that's incredible wow I'm a Samoan n I'm so surprised and amazed of wat u people did wow beautiful voices much much better than we are juv it God is good and God bless u all
I've just found this amazing choir, how could they have managed to sing in Samoa ,I'm so amazed, Thanks to all of "Westlake, " for an exciting performance 😀 ❤️
