online music com - APRA

OBITUARY
MAHINARANGI TOCKER 1955 - 2008
Photos by © Robert Catto / www.catto.co.nz
Performing at Te Papa Marae June 2003
Recording Mongrel In Me July 2005
at Braeburn Studios in Wellington
Mahinarangi Tocker (Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Tainui – Ngati Maniapoto, Jewish
and Celtic ancestry) made an extraordinary contribution to New Zealand. She was one of
our most unique voices.
Mahinarangi was born in Taumaranui into a whanau blessed with the love of music.
Known today as a gifted poet, songwriter and musician – many may not know that in her
early days she was also a representative swimmer, diver and netballer! She studied and
qualified as a nurse but quickly discovered her path was to follow her love of music.
In her life she wrote and recorded six albums of her own – all highly acclaimed. It’s
quoted she wrote more than 600 songs. I suspect she wrote many more. She was prolific
– at times a whirlwind of energy and intensity – as close to a musical genius as anyone in
this country. She contributed to numerous recordings and live performances across
numerous genres and collaborated with an enviable array of musicians and artists from
David Downes and Ross Harris, to Charlotte Yates, Shona Laing, to the Strawpeople and
Hone Tuwhare.
Her music is in many ways indefinable; but it was always reflective of her. It was
diverse; it talked about love and respect, of tolerance. It was accessible and intelligent. It
was complex and it was always beautiful. She wrote about her ancestry but most proudly
of her Maori heritage and her music showed us the way to co-exist in a diverse world.
Mahinarangi exemplified all that this meant.
There are many tributes to her extraordinary life. What becomes clear through all these
personal celebrations is that Mahinarangi made every one she met feel special – like you
were her most special friend. She made us laugh, she was generous and she was kind and
full of aroha for those around her. Whether you were lucky enough to know her personally,
saw her perform live or simply heard her music, the experience was unforgettable.
The legacy of her music will live on as will her work in mental health, education and
human rights. This year, in the New Year Honours list, Mahinarangi Tocker became a
member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music – a richly deserved reward.
It’s unthinkable that Mahinarangi is no longer with us. We extend our sympathies to
Irena (her sweetheart), her daughter Hinewairangi and her whole whanau.
Anthony Healey
APR AP MAY 2008
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