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National | Ministry of Social Development

E Tu Whānau song competition winners announced

Troubled is the name of the winning song of the E tu Whānau song competition 2018.  The winning trio are all community health workers and are all about bringing positive change to the local Whanganui community.

Tyson Tauri, who arranged the music for the track says, "Because we all work for community development organisations- Jay and I are at Ngā Tai o Te Awa and Charlie works at Te Ora Hōu, another organisation."

And despite nearly missing the entry date for the competition, they still got over the line.

Tauri also says, "We recorded the track once we caught up with each other- we recorded the track and did the video for it in about a four to five-hour space."

Their entry, Troubled, talks about tāne Māori and how they need to open up about things.

Tauri says in closing, "The waiata is just an acknowledgement really to say, as fathers, as men going through life we all experience certain troubles, it could be anything.  We didn't go into the competition wanting to win anything- it's definitely a good acknowledgement to us that our mahi is actually being recognised by people around Aotearoa."

And for at least one judge, the trio ticked all the boxes.

Maaka Macgreggor, says, "I really liked their arrangement, I liked the way they put the song together.  I liked the space they used in their words.  I like the way they eluded to the kaupapa and it was a real positive outcome in the song."

They won the $5,000 first prize, second prize went to Dion Whaanga and his song I'll Call in a Little While and third prize to Haley Grace-Hollis of Gisborne for Hold on.