Jason King and Valance Smith

Jason King

Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Waikato te iwi
Ko Ngāti Mahuta te hapū
Ko Te Koraha te marae
Ko Tahāroa te papakāinga

Ko te reo Māori te moko o te hinengaro,he reo ohooho, he māpihi maurea, he whakakai marihi.
The Māori language is the blueprint to the soul and mind, a treasured adornment that is upheld with the highest esteem.

Jason King was raised in Tahāroa, Kāwhia, and is of Waikato, Ngāti Mahuta descent.
Graduating with a Diploma of Teaching in 1994, a Bachelor of Education with a double major in Education and Māori in 1995 and completing a MA with First Class honours in 2003, Jason is currently a senior lecturer at Te Ara Poutama, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jason has a strong passion for te reo Māori, he was part of the first intake of students of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo Māori, the Institute of Māori Language Excellence. He remains steadfast in his pursuit of excellence in te reo Māori, and one of these pursuits is in the composition of his waiata.

Valance Smith

Valance Smith (Ngāpuhi, Waikato, Ngāti Mahuta) is a Lecturer at AUT University.  He teaches Te Reo Māori (undergraduate) and Tikanga Māori (post graduate) papers within Te Ara Poutama, The Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development at AUT.  Valance also teaches at The School of Education.  His services to AUT include cultural advisor and Kaikōrero (orator). 

He has recently completed his doctoral thesis, the primary focus of which is to discuss the role of contemporary Māori music in promoting te reo Māori. His thesis will contribute new insights and understandings into the role of the Māori language in contemporary Māori music.  Further, it discusses the value of both songs written entirely in te reo Māori and bilingual compositions.  In this way, it is intended to be a useful tool for tutors and teachers of Māori music in general and will feed into work being undertaken in Te Ipukarea (the National Māori Language Institute) in terms of ‘Whakareia te kounga o te reo’ (spreading the quality of the Māori language).