Hez hopes to bring the beat home
Music has always been a huge part of Heremaia Taputoro’s life and now he wants to use his skills to help others.
Taputoro, of Nga¯ Rauru descent and from Ka¯karamea, created his own record label Made iv Cash 19 years ago but wanted to return to Pa¯ tea from Australia in order to support and enhance young musical talent in the town by setting up a studio.
‘‘This has been on my mind for many years to come home and create this,’’ the 32-year-old said. ‘‘I really believe in this project and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it and planning it.’’
The town is already part of the nation’s music history thanks to the success of the Pa¯tea Ma¯ori Club’s 1984 hit song Poi E, which spent
22 weeks on the New Zealand charts. It also hosts the annual music event Paepae in the Park, which draws bands and crowds from all over the region.
Taputoro, who prefers to be known as Hez, currently lives in Surfers Paradise. He first got involved in music when he was five, but admitted it didn’t get off to a great start.
‘‘I played clarinet and piano when I was a kid but I hated it, the songs they taught were crap,’’ he said.
All that changed when he was 15 and was introduced to House of Shem, a roots reggae band from New Zealand. ‘‘I’ve always done music growing up and my brother-in-law is one of the Perkins brothers who are in the band.
‘‘I’ve seen a lot of stuff they’ve done and it’s really inspired me,’’ he said.
He went on to study towards a Certificate in Music and Performance at UCOL in Whanganui.
‘‘I always wanted to wake up every day and do music,’’ he said.
He planned on returning to New Zealand in four to five weeks and hoped the new venture would help young people channel their energy into something creative. ‘‘I know what the young ones are going through. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like.’’
Music had helped him to get through some tough times of his own. ‘‘It’s helped keep me sane in my life regardless of whatever else was going on at the time. Music has the ability to bring people together.’’
While he’s financing the whole thing himself, he hoped other agencies or individuals would get on board in the future.
He already had offers of help from friends and family since he floated the idea about the studio on the Pa¯tea community Facebook page. It also means he’s on the hunt for a place to set up the business, which he hopes will include a music studio and a live band room.
‘‘It’ll preferably be somewhere the neighbours won’t complain about the music.’’