Puna Ora

Nov 20

Updated: 1 day ago

A three panel illustration, tree trunks, flame-like shapes, and leaves

Puarengia ō mata

ki te ao

tūroa

I takea mai koe i

tua o

Tāwauwau

E oho mai!

E hua mai!

O kura e huna ana

i tō whatumanawa

Ka ihiihi

Ka wehiwehi

Ka wana, me he awa e tere ana i te

Puna ora

Huraina ngā kura

He hautupua

Huraina ō kura

Puna ora

Tō umu, tīrama

Tiaho, mārama

Kia mau, kia ū ki te pai

Kia mau, kia ū ki tō ira atua

E oho mai!

E hua mai

O kura kei roto tonu i tō whatumanawa

Ka ihiihi

Ka wehiwehi

Ka wana me he awa e tere ana i te

Puna ora

Huraina ngā kura

He hautupua

Huraina ō kura

Puna ora

He moko he puna

He wai ka pū i te mātāpuna

Hei puna ora hou

Maiea ngā kura, ngā hua, ki tua! X 2

O Tāwauwau

Listen

Puna Ora - a translation

Open your eyes

To the living world

You who have come from

Beyond

Awaken!

Come forth!

The hidden power

Within

It’s exhilarating

It’s awesome

It rises like a river spilling out from

The spring of life

Unveil that power

A being fierce and full

Unveil that power

Spring of life

Let your light shine

Let it give light

Hold on to what is good

Hold on to your divine heritage

Awaken!

Reveal yourself!

The hidden power

Within

It’s exhilarating

It’s awesome

It rises like a river spilling out from

A descendant is a spring

Coming forth from the spring of life

A new spring, a new life

Let the power rise and break forth

Te Karanga, our newest waiata - out now!

Listen to Te Karanga HERE | Watch Te Karanga HERE

Award-winning Aotearoa duo Aro are embracing a new season of life and releasing Te Karanga, their powerful new waiata to match. This Easter, Charles and Emily Looker (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Ngāti Mutunga), along with their two tamariki, packed up their Pukekohe home, moved their life into a custom-fitted Rugged Kiwi caravan, and hit the road to live a life centred around whānau, community, bicultural connection, and legacy.

It’s a bold lifestyle shift that mirrors the heart behind Te Karanga, their hopeful new waiata, released May 23rd, 2025.

"We should always find a way, when love calls — Karanga mai..."

Written in late 2024 after an unforgettable live set with TONES, Te Karanga captures a deeply personal moment for the duo — a call to respond to aroha, to move forward with hope, even when the path is uncertain. Unlike Aro’s earlier concept albums, often grounded in months of research into Te Taiao, this waiata poured out in an evening — raw, real, and deeply reflective of their lived experience.

Musically, Te Karanga weaves Aro’s signature bilingual artistry with an expansive, soulful sound, powered by the gospel energy of House of Misfits. Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by talented Scott Seabright in Onewhero and at Auckland’s Lab Studio, it offers rich harmonies, irresistible groove, and the emotional authenticity that has earned Aro critical acclaim and public love — including most recently the, 2024 Waiata Māori Music Award for Best Pop Album.

In every way, Te Karanga is more than just a song. It’s a reflection of Aro’s kaupapa: to live with hope, to move with aroha, and to leave a legacy that calls others forward.

The song’s spirit is beautifully captured in its accompanying lyric video and its behind the scenes live recording video, with the former filmed by whanaunga Maioro Taylor (Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua) on Āwhitu Peninsula. It follows Emily and Charles walking a long road toward a small chapel — a visual metaphor for answering the call of aroha, carrying hope forward, and trusting in the journey.

The release of Te Karanga also follows a major milestone for Charles, who earlier this year stood with Muriwhenua to perform at Te Matatini 2025, reaffirming Aro’s deep commitment to uplifting te ao Māori through music, kaupapa, and action.

With their lives now woven into the land and its people in a new way, Aro are working towards their third full-length album, due for release in Autumn 2026 (supported by Te Māngai Paho), drawing inspiration from their adventures, their whānau life on the road, and their continued work delivering storytelling and songwriting workshops in kura across Aotearoa ( thanks to the NZ Music Commission).

Te Karanga was released on May 23rd, 2025, with thanks to Te Māngai Paho and NZ On Air through Waiata Takitahi.