Moana returns to her roots in Southland
Moana Maniapoto is on the hunt for the best garage party singer in Invercargill. ‘‘We don’t want any flash Beyonce hip-hop know it alls, we want someone who knows old songs,’’ she said.
Going on to demonstrate, You Are My Sunshine would be one of those ‘‘old songs’’.
As the opening act for the Southland Festival of the Arts tomorrow, Maniapoto is returning to her Southland roots and bringing her show ‘‘My Name Is Moana’’ to Stewart Island and Invercargill.
‘‘It starts off very much as a garage party feel,’’ she said.
‘‘We’re on the hunt for the best one to be the one.’’
Through stories and music, Maniapoto and her fellow musicians bring a political message to audiences about water’s cultural and spiritual importance to her.
After a situation in 2002 where Maniapoto was threatened to be sued over the trade marking of the name ‘‘Moana’’, it got her thinking about what the ocean - moana - meant to her.
‘‘I was quite keen to look at water and our relationship as humans with freshwater and saltwater,’’ she said.
‘‘What can we as individuals do - life is full of contradictions.’’
Recently, she has been confronted with the use of plastic in her day to day life.
Wanting to make a concerted effort to reduce her own environmental impact, she said she had taken measures to use less plastic, but it was difficult to escape it at times.
Picking up the drycleaning - clothes wrapped in plastic.
Shipping off her performance gear to Southland for the festival - it was all wrapped in plastic at the freight company.
‘‘Once I started looking at it, I thought oh my god this is madness,’’ she said.
However, audiences can be assured they are in for a show and not a heated argument on plastic and water.
‘‘We’re singing stories, it’s not a lecture,’’ she said.
Entertaining people and having fun on stage was key, and meeting new people and hearing their own stories was a big part of her love for performing.
‘‘The most exciting thing is finding ways to connect with people,’’ she said.
A former Southlander, Maniapoto was looking forward to returning to spend some time in her hometown.
Reminiscing fondly about her family home in Highfield Tce, her family moved to Rotorua when she was 10 years old.
‘‘It was a lovely, wonderful upbringing.
‘‘I’ve only got warm memories growing up in Invercargill,’’ she said.
While the arts scene in Southland was not something she had a ‘‘finger on the pulse’’ on, getting to know that part of the musical community in Invercargill and Stewart Island was looking to be a highlight for her, she said.
The Southland Festival of the Arts opens tomorrow in various locations across Southland.
The festival runs until May 20.