A Wellington high school all-female choir’s beautiful performance of the waiata 'Tihore Mai' is going viral.
The resurfaced clip shows the Samuel Marsden Collegiate School chorus powerfully performing an a cappella version of the waiata, using just a shaker to keep in time.
The caller’s voice at the beginning is enough to send chills across the body, and the harmonising is pure magic to the ears.
The clip was picked up and shared by TikTok page @karinkereama, racking up 45,000 views this week and hundreds of comments praising the group’s efforts.
“As a Māori I think this is absolutely beautiful. Well done to the wāhine,” one commenter wrote.
Another added: “I'm goosebumps head to toe... stunning performance.”
“Wow, that was different - beautiful all the same. MAURI ORA!!!”
“Māori or not, thank you for embracing our culture,” someone else said.
The video originally comes from The Big Sing 2015 - Aotearoa's largest national secondary school choral festival.
The group may not all be of Māori descent, but their efforts were widely appreciated for bringing te reo to a national stage - especially a decade ago. And in 2025, it’s something we’re still proud to see in any form.
This isn’t the only outstanding performance from the school’s choral group. Back in 2022, the girls created the stunning sound of our natural landscape with woody echoes and bird whistles, using only their hands and breath.
They’re not the only choir embracing te reo Māori. An American choir was recently praised for their moving performance of 'Kei Wareware'.
The theme of their concert was to honour native and indigenous voices, and their director was inspired after hearing the waiata while it was going hugely viral following this year’s Te Matatini festival.
NZ Youth Choir also performed a powerful haka after being named world champs at this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales.
Whether you’re into choir groups or not, they’ve been doing a lot for Reo on the big stages.
