WATCH: NZ DJ Hyan spins Māori classic 'Poi E' with UK dance beats in 'elite' mix

If there’s one thing that will grab the attention of every Kiwi in a room, it’s ‘Poi E’.

The Pātea Māori Club waiata has, and always will be, the unofficial anthem of Aotearoa. And as time goes on, the tune is finding itself in some unexpected and wonderful places.

We’re talking rugby games, TV and movies, radio… the list goes on. But at the most recent Matakanarama event up North in December, one DJ took it somewhere totally unexpected.

And it goes HARD!!

DJ Hyan claims he’s the first person to ever mix the 1987 waiata with UK dance DJ Silva Bumpa’s tracks. The blend from the Māori classic into ‘Wanna Party’ works flawlessly.

Plenty of people agree, with one commenter jumping in to praise the DJ for his mix.

“This is gold,” they wrote. A second called it “Elite”.

“Actually, for the culture,” said another. A fourth simply tagged Guinness World Records to have a geez.

Matakanarama even called it “innovation” - at its finest!

Honestly, it’s up there with Māori DJ Lady Shaka’s 2023 Matariki set, where she worked iconic Te Reo songs like Oceania’s ‘Kotahitanga’ into breakbeat remixes.

She even featured a poi performance, and we’ve been wanting more ever since.

They aren’t the only ones remixing iconic Māori moments. Back in 2024, Māori DJ Aroha turned Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke’s viral Parliament haka into a track titled ‘Let Her Rip’.

It features audio from the moment Hana-Rāwhiti tore the Treaty Principles Bill during the haka - a moment that went mega viral worldwide.

Now that we know Poi E has officially entered the electronic space, can we please get this released on streaming platforms ASAP? We need it to be the track of 2026.