Dame Hinewehi Mohi
Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāi Tūhoe) is an acclaimed New Zealand singer/songwriter, known for her double-platinum album Oceania.
When Hinewehi performed the New Zealand National Anthem in te reo Māori at Twickenham during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, she took the audience by surprise, which led to a robust debate about the language, culture, and identity. That moment in Aotearoa’s history became a turning point for the recognition of te reo Māori and it is now customary that the national anthem is sung in both Māori and English.
Hinewehi co-founded the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre (RMTC) 19 years ago, and each week, there are now over 1,000 people with disabilities, engaged in music therapy through the centres in Auckland, Whangārei, Bay of Plenty, and Hawkes Bay.
As Managing Director of her own production company, Hinewehi has produced hundreds of hours of television and digital content for broadcast, that celebrate te ao Māori.
In 2019, Hinewehi produced the Waiata/Anthems album, working with high-profile artists to record their hit songs in te reo Māori. For the artists, it is a transformative and life-changing experience to connect to the language and culture through their music. Since then, she has continued to champion the growth of a bilingual music industry in Aotearoa, supporting the production of over 100 new waiata reo Māori.
In 2021 Hinewehi was awarded a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori, music, and television.
