EMMA DONOVAN: The Language Of The Heart

Te Raukura O’Connell Rapira (Te Ātiawa, Ngāruahine, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whakaue) has been described by their peers as one of the most strategic minds of their generation. For the past 14 years, they’ve been behind some of the biggest community-led campaigns in Aotearoa. They’re currently the CEO of 350.org in so-called Australia, a global community organisation committed to a world free of fossil fuels. Unlike other people Jen has spoken to on this podcast, Te Raukura isn’t a songwriter. They became friends through a waiata group in Naarm (Melbourne) fondly known as Takatāpui Tuesdays. In this episode, Te Raukura speaks to the complexities of being Māori and working on Aboriginal land – and how singing their cultural songs with other queer and trans Māori has brought them joy and connection.

Jordyn with a Why (Tainui Āwhiro) grew up in South Auckland immersed in her Samoan culture. It wasn’t until high school, when her Dad suggested she take Te reo Māori instead of French, that a door opened into her cultural identity. Now her days are spent teaching full immersion Te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa while raising her sons with Māori as their first language. Her debut album Hibiscus Moon Love and Justice is written in rua reo (both Māori and English), and blends R&B, neo-soul, and pop to speak to the experience of being an urban Māori. In this episode, Jordyn takes Jen for a feed at Denny’s – a South Auckland mainstay – and shares how Te Reo Māori has changed the direction of her life and music.

When Byllie-jean (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Pahauwera) released her debut EP Filter at the beginning of 2024, she was largely unknown. A year on and she’s become one of the most lauded songwriters in Aotearoa, recently picking up a Taite Music Prize (2025) for Best Debut Album. Byllie-jean spent her childhood riding horseback beside the Inangahua River in the north-west of the South Island. The influence of the ngahere (bush) and her capacity to listen deeply brings to mind the work of the great Hirini Melbourne. In this episode, Jen takes a ride in Byllie-jean’s truck, ‘Haumie’, and learns about the wāhine Māori who have shaped her life and songwriting.

Whirimako Black (Ngāti Tuhoe, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is Aotearoa’s undisputed soul diva, and one of the greatest living performers of waiata Māori. While her work has broken new ground for Māori music, her career has never been easy. When Whirimako released her debut album Hinepukohurangi (Shrouded in the Mist) in 2001, there were very few albums (let alone jazz albums) written and performed in Te Reo Māori. In this episode, Jen visits Whirimako at her home in Ruatoki to find out why she shelved the album for five years … and how learning about her whakapapa gave her the strength to finally set it free.

Dr. Shellie Morris (Wardaman, Yanyuwa) is a legend in the Northern Territory. Affectionately known as the ‘Mother of Music’, she’s spent the past 25 years writing songs with more than 70 remote bush communities. In that time, Shellie’s learned to sing in 17 different languages – many of which are considered ‘sleeping’ or close to extinction, including her own Yanyuwa tongue. In this episode, Jen and Shellie head to Kakadu to visit Shellie’s sister Mandy Muir. On the way, Jen learns about Shellie’s emotional homecoming after being adopted at birth; the healing influence of her Elders, the Borroloola Songwomen, and the next generation of strong, cultural women who are keeping their languages alive through song.