POI E
The Story of Our Song
PRODUCTION NOTES
Jawbone Pictures in association with the Pātea Film Collective, TeMāngaiPaho, NZ on Air and the New Zealand Film Commission presents POI E: The Story of our Song
StarringDalvanius Prime, NgoiPēwhairangi and the Pātea Māori Club along with Taika Waititi,
Stan Walker and the Topp Twins
Director of Photography: Fred Renata and Jos Wheeler Sound Design: Dick Reade and Colleen Brennan Graphics: Jeff SmithEditors: TearepaKahi and Francis Glenday Producers: Alexander Behse,ReikuraKahi and TearepaKahiLine Producer Callie Adams Associate Producers: TuteriRangihaeata, ErueraTeWhiti Nia
Written and Directed by:TearepaKahi
A TEST AUDIENCE was asked for 3 words to describe POI E. They said:
IN CINEMAS August 4
CONTENTS
FACT SHEET page 4
SYNOPSISpage 5-6
ABOUT THE FILMpage 7-11
ABOUT THE PRODUCTIONpage 12-14
BIOGRAPHIESpage 15 - 26
Dalvanius Prime –Timelinepage 15-16
NgoiPēwhairangipage 17
The Patea Maori Clubpage 18-19
Barletta Primepage 20
MaakaPōhatupage 20
TearepaKahipage 21
ReikuraKahi, page 22
Alexander Behsepage 23
Tuteri Dal Rangihaeatapage 24
Fred Renata page 24
Jos Wheelerpage 25
Francis Glendaypage 25
Jan Hellriegelpage 26
Full Creditspage 2 -41
Director/writer TearepaKahi on the personal impact
of the song‘PoiE’:
“I grew up in Papanui in Christchurch, where there wasn’t a huge Maori presence. When I used to visit the whanau in Pukekohe, that’s where I felt strong and confident, but in Christchurch it was a different feeling altogether.
“But when ‘Poi E’ came out - I must have been 7 years old - I saw this young boy dressed in his maro, standing with his whānaudoing those actions and he looked so awesome!
“I felt like I saw myself. And then, as the video clip played on, I saw who I wanted to be: Joe Moana on top of the waka doing the bop.
“So, in this one video clip I saw myself as I was and I saw who I wanted to be.”
FACT SHEET
Duration: 92 minutes
Jawbone Pictures in association with the Patea Film Collective, TeMāngaiPaho, NZ On Air and the NZ Film Commissionwith the support of the Dalvanius Prime Estateand the Patea Maori Club.
NZ Distributor: Sony Pictures NZ
Director/writer: TearepaKahi
Producers: Alexander Behse,Reikura and TearepaKahi
AssociateProducers: TuteriRangihaeata, ErueraTeWhiti Nia
Line producer: Callie Adams
Director of Photography: Fred Renata and Jos Wheeler
Editor: TearepaKahi and Francis Glenday
Sound Design: Dick Reade and Colleen Brennan
Music Supervisor: Jan Hellriegel
Graphics: Jeff Smith
MaakaPōhatu plays Dalvanius in reconstructions
CONTACT: publicist Sue May 0274 739 318
ABOUT ‘Poi E’, the song:
In 1984, ‘Poi E’reached Number 1 on the NZ Pop Charts and broke every musical record. It remained in the charts for 34 weeks. It outsold ‘Thriller’, ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ and every other hit of 1984. It has been in the Top 10 in New Zealand, every decade for the past 30 years.It was also the first Number 1 song written and released entirely in Te Reo Māori.To put it simply, this small song changed New Zealand, forever.
TAGLINE: The Story of Our Song
SHORT SYNOPSIS
‘Poi E’, a simple song with a catchy beat released 32 years ago,has become New Zealand’s unofficial national anthem. With humour, energy and emotion, the movie POI Eis the story of how that iconic song gave pride to generations of New Zealanders. From Taika Waititi giving Stan Walker his quirky take on life in the 1980s to Patea Maori Club members’ straight-talkingand funny memories of the song’s visionary originator Dalvanius Prime, director TearepaKahi(Mt Zion) captures a unique story that taps into the heart of the nation.
LONGER SYNOPSIS
POI E is the story of the creation of New Zealand’s iconic song of celebration, the song that became the unofficial national anthem.A ground-breaking mash-up of 1980s pop music, traditional Māori waiata and bop dancing, ‘Poi E’was a unique product of its time.
Written and directed by TearepaKahi(Mt Zion),POI Etakes the audience on a laugh-and-cry emotional journey as it lays out the hard-scrabble context from which the song was bornand the relationships which shaped the song and propelled it forward.
Dalvanius Prime, a musician with an international R&B career and a Motown dream, but divorced from his Māori identity, returned home to nurse his dying mother and discovered a new dream - to bring Te Reo Māori to the younger generation through pop music with a uniquely Māori flavour. He co-composed ‘Poi E’ with Māori language composer NgoiPēwhairangiand persuaded his family, The Patea Māori Club, to perform it. Along the way, he gathered a diverse and talented bunch of collaborators to record the song, make a music video and take all the steps necessary to get it to Number 1 on the charts. This included hustling up investment from family and local Patea businesspeople, who recall the moment with pride.
The film is told largely in Dalvanius’ own words and features many truly Kiwi characters who were thereat the time in poignant, often hilarious recollections – notablythe twinsknown as Aunty Bib and Nana Bub and the original bop dancer, Joe Moana, alongside musicians like Stan Walker,who, aged 25, has never known a time without ‘Poi E’. He shares the screen with filmmaker Taika Waititi,who gives a ‘Taika-world view’ explanation of life in the 1980s. And they do the bop.
Some quotes from a TEST AUDIENCE:
“Makes me really proud to be a kiwi. I'm inspired.”
“Awesome. I would like to see it with my family.”
“Such an important piece of NZ history that I had no idea about. Thank you for telling it.”
“A heart-warming film, a letter to youth, a message to our nation.”
“Dalvanius' passion for re-igniting Te Reo Māori within a platform such as music was inspirational.”
“Dalvanius was creative, funny, inspirational and clearly had a big impact on a lot of people.”
“He brought the culture into the new age and uplifted a lot of the past into a positive light. Absolutely stunning.”
“Really enjoyed it and love seeing Māori culture on screen.”
“Ended on a high! Great ending.”
“It was wonderful! I will be singing Poi E all the way home.”
“A very enjoyable creative film destined for a wide audience.”
“Fantastic!”
“This is a film for all New Zealanders to enjoy. It should be required viewing for the younger generation”
“Loved it!”
ABOUT THE FILM
“It’s the story of how far a dream can go when it’s led by determination and vision.” – TearepaKahi.
POI Eis the latest chapter in director/writerTearepaKahi’s exploration of New Zealand’s musical history. His first film, Mt Zion, was a fictional story inspired by his musician father and his whānau in the 1980s.
This film is the true story of the visionary musician and leader Maui Dalvanius Prime, the entrepreneur responsible for the iconic New Zealand song ‘Poi E’ becoming a huge hit in the 1980s. Upbeat, catchy and danceable, it remains a favourite more than 30 years later. It could be called the country’s unofficial national anthem - it’s the song Kiwis use to celebrate success at major events. And every New Zealander feels they can sing it (the chorus at least).
‘Poi E’, composed by Dalvanius with Māori language expert NgoiPēwhairangi and performed by the Patea Māori Club, remains the only song in Te Reo Māori to reach No 1 in the charts, 32 years since its 1984 release.
‘Poi E’ topped the charts for four weeks and was the biggest-selling single in New Zealand for 1984. It has been in the Top 10 in New Zealand every decade for the past 30 years.After featuring in the jubilant finale of Taika Waititi’s blockbuster film Boy, ‘Poi E’ reached No 3 again in 2010.
Kahi says the song ‘Poi E’ is significant because “it was the first pop song that used a drum machine, spacey noises, sound effects and put Te Reo Māori to that music. It was the first time you saw modern and traditional come together and when that fusion happened a huge feeling just leaped across the country. That song represents a really important time marker for when Māori and Pākehāstarted doing the bop together.
“It might be a difficult song to sing, but it’s an easy song to feel. And all of that celebration and euphoria that happened the first time we heard that song still happens every time we hear it now.”
Through lively archival footage, home movies and hilarious interviews with existing members, the film traces how the performers of ‘Poi E’, the Patea Maori Club, found themselves on an unexpected roller-coaster ride as the song rocked the charts. They performed it around in the world, including a Royal Gala performance for the Queen in 1985. Today, the group includes three generations of performers and they maintain standards by practising every Monday night in their Patea clubrooms. They are still in demand.
POI Etells of Dalvanius, a covers band singer and entertainer on the Australian and South-East Asian nightclub circuit who was out of touch with his Māori heritage, arriving back home in Patea, Taranaki, to nurse his ailing mother in the early 1980s.
‘Poi E’ is sometimes credited with saving the Taranaki town of Patea by lifting morale after the 1982 closure of the meat processing factory, the town’s main industry and employer of the majority of Māori in the area. The film places the creation of the song against this backdrop, combined with the dislocation of Māori youth growing up in the cities, cut off from their tribal origins. Dalvanius’ vision, dream and inspiration was to use pop music to reach out to those disaffected youth and bring them back to their language and culture. In a powerful sequence, Kahi intercuts poet Apirana Taylor reading his gritty, truth-telling poem “Sad Joke on a Marae” with the social upheavals of the 1980s.
It is a story told in Dalvanius’ own voice - sometimes passionate, sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, always entertaining - largely from an audio interview conducted by author Chris Bourke and another set of radio interviews by veteran broadcaster Henare TeUa.
Dalvanius tells of his own inadequacy in Te Reo Māori, particularly his heartbreak at not being able to understand his mother’s dying words. That can be seen as a motivator for his wanting young Māori to learn Te Reo through music they could relate to.
The story is told with humour, insight and compassion, and is a powerful emotional journey for the audience. Original Patea Māori Club members recall their first hearing ‘Poi E’, their first performances – on stage and in the recording studio - and what it was like working with Dalvanius, or “Butch”, as they knew him.
Alongside the revelations of the Patea whānau and locals are interviews with some of the country’s top musicians –The Topp Twins, Don McGlashan, Annie Crummer, HinewehiMohi and Moana Maniapoto- about the influence of ‘Poi E’ on their lives and careers. Stan Walker, who has never known a time without ‘Poi E’, shares the screen with filmmaker Taika Waititi in a hilarious cameo in which Taika attempts to explain life in the 1980s and analogue round-the-dial telephones to Stan. And they do the bop.
Kahi’s hope for the film is “to share the many trials and tribulations and the mountain Dalvanius climbed in bringing this song to the airwaves and to the mainstream of New Zealand at that time. We look back fondly on it now and when it’s time to celebrate we’re happy to sing a chorus and party along to it, but what Dalvanius and the Patea Māori Club did to put that song on the charts gives us a lot of lessons in terms of what we want to do today - whatever our dreams might be.
“This is a story about not giving up, about believing in something bigger and about finding a way through difficulties.Those are some of the things I hope this song can now symbolise for a much wider audience.”
Written and directed by TearepaKahi, writer/director of 2013 box office success Mt Zion, POI Euses compelling, funny and often moving interviews from people who were there at the time, plus archival footage and audio material, some revealed for the first time, like the first ever recording of ‘Poi E’, and all of the film shot (the ‘rushes’) for the original music video. It also contains a 2015 re-creation of the iconic music video featuring many of the original performers, including the man who brought break dancing to New Zealand, Joe Moana.
The film is produced by TearepaKahi, ReikuraKahi and Alexander Behse through their company Jawbone Pictures and the Patea Film Collective with the support of the Dalvanius Prime Estateand the Patea Maori Club, represented by co-producer Tuteri Dal Rangihaeata. It is funded by NZ Film Commission, TeMāngaiPahoand NZ On Air and is distributed by Sony Pictures NZ. Director of photography is Fred Renata (Mt Zion)with Jos Wheeler, production designer Savage and costume designer Gavin McLean are also from the Mt Zion team; music supervisor is Jan Hellriegel and Kahi was editor with Francis Glenday.
Tuteri Dal Rangihaeata, Dalvanius Prime’s nephew and namesake, was involved from the very beginning of the project, which originated as an idea for a television programme, but he says Kahi saw its potential as a feature film. “He told us it was a bigger story than we thought,” says Rangihaeata, “and he was right.
“Other than ‘Poi E’ going to Number One, I believe this film will be the biggest event that has happened,not only for the family, but for the community in Patea,” he says.
“It started thewhānauthinking about things they’ve never thought about before because they were just in the action, doing it. So,through a lot of reflection, they’re still learning about it and putting the experience into context, but I think they are very honoured that they’ve had the chance.
“This film is bringing back memories of all those hard times that they went through. And when Uncle Dal returned from Aussie with his top hat and fancy vest – it was this guy with a dream to help a community.”
Kahi says one of the things he learned in making this film is “this song wasn’t manufactured, like a lot of today’s music is. It actually came from a real place and from real people. This story is about a person who is going through a huge identity shift, dealing with the passing of his mother and adjusting to returning home from the bright lights overseas. And it’s these people who are suffering economically and wondering what’s the next step because the job that their families have done for the last 40 years is over.
“If these people had been any different, if Dalvanius had gone with another kapa haka group, this song wouldn’t be the same. If these lyrics didn’t come from NgoiPēwhairangi from Tokomaru Bay, this song wouldn’t be the same.
“So for me, it’s been getting to understand each of these places and all of the people involved that gives this song its place.It’s not just a story about a chart-topper, the first Te Reo Māori song that hit number one. It’s actually a story about what happened when all those peoplecame together to create some magic.”
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
POI E was filmed by a small crew in several short bursts in 2014-2015. They travelled several times to Patea, the small South Taranakihometown of Dalvanius Prime and the Patea Māori Club, filming interviews with his whānau, PMC members, former freezing workersand other locals, including the butcher. They also reconstructed the shooting of the ‘Poi E’ music video, attended by the video’s original makers, director Paul Carvell and cinematographer Waka Attewell.
Kahi says he wanted to pay tribute in that way because “a lot of the frontline members and Joe Moana the bop master are still with us, so the opportunity was too good to pass up. I thought since we have the film they shot 30 years ago, let’s have past and present meet together on screen in a faithful video clip and make it with a lot of love and integrity.”
He says bringing Joe Moana (the bop dancer on top of the canoe) back to Patea (from Australia) was one of the highlights of his life. “He had such a profound influence on me as a young boy and being able to share that side of the story was a huge reward.”
One of the key interviews was with Dalvanius’s sister Barletta, who toured extensively overseas with Dalvaniusas one of The Fascinations, the group they created initially in Wellington. She returned to Patea with him to care for their mother and was one of the original Patea Māori Club performers of ‘Poi E’, a role she still has today.
Barletta says, “This film depicts the true story of the song and how it came about.I’m very proud that this story is being told because it’s a fabulous historyfor New Zealand as a whole - it promotes the reo and the culture and also portrays our culture overseas.”
The film crew went to NgoiPēwhairangi’s home in Tokomaru Bay to film the recollections of her descendants. “Ngoi exists in a really important way in this film because she played a really important part in Dalvanius’ progression as an artist and her presence in this film is heartfelt and we wanted to hear from her whānau,” says Kahi.