Hayley
Westenra
Hayley Westenra singing "Pokarekare Ana"
(Come Back To Me)
"I Like Music because… it feeds the soul, it balances you and there's
always a song for every mood that you're in." HAYLEY WESTENRA
Pokarekare Ana is a traditional New Zealand love song, probably
communally composed about the time World War 1 began in 1914.
East Coast Māori song-writer Paraire Tomoana, who polished up the song
in 1917 and published the words in 1921, wrote that it emanated from the
North of Auckland and was popularised by Māori soldiers who were
training near Auckland before embarking for the war in Europe.
There have been numerous claims and counterclaims regarding authorship
over the years. Although the matter has never been definitively settled,
guardianship of the words and music are held by the family (descendants)
of Paraire Tomoana.
Although the Māori words have virtually remained unaltered over the
decades, with only the waters in the first line being localized, there
have been many different English translations.