NZ Youth Choir: Palmerston North and New Plymouth
June/July 2026
Repertoire
Nepituno - Queen Salote Tupou III, Arr. Helen Tupai
Nepituno fai ha'o malelenga Kuo u fanongo ha tala mahe'a Tā ne kolosi 'ae 'Ekueta 'E he Hau tu'u fakaleveleva
Ko e siu fakahāko noa 'A e taulua tavake—oma 'O fekumi ki he 'api moana 'O e Matakali Polinisia
He tuetuē Kae fēfē Ko e hakailangitau'ange ē 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o tuputupu'a 'A e Hau 'oku malu'i fonua
Mafola e Pasifiki Saute Hono 'otu motu ne lau afe Ka ne fakakū pea 'anefē Kalauni Sovaleni ne afe 'Eva he matangi fakatētē Pea mo e 'ea e vaha mohe He ko e afenga fakame'ite Lata'anga 'oe manu ta'ane
He tuetuē Kae fēfē Ko e hakailangitau'ange ē 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o tuputupu'a 'A e Hau 'oku malu'i fonua
'E Hina mo Sinilau ke hake 'I he fanga e 'otu Felenite Tama ko Tangita koe pā ā 'Oku kei tu'u moe lau pē Kuo lahi 'ae folau mole He tautefua 'a niumotu'u e 'O fakamo'oni he 'aho koe 'A e tepi fakangali fefine
He tuetuē Kae fēfē Ko e hakailangitau'ange ē 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o tuputupu'a 'A e Hau 'oku malu'i fonua
Neptune is doing his best I have heard a good story Ekueta crossed over It's a country where I live
That's just an explanation And it's a two-way street—run Look for a sea turtle O e Matakali Polynesia
How is it? That's what it's like 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o takutuna'a It's a safe country
Mafola e Pasifiki Saute The islands are connected by thousands It may have been wet Kalauni Sovaleni was a thousand 'Eva is a competing wind Maybe it's because he's sleeping It's a perfect match Close up of the male bird
How is it? That's what it's like 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o takutuna'a It's a safe country
'E Hina and Sinilau go up There were three Felenites You are Tangita's son I am still sleeping It's a lot of fun It's a good news You are the proof And it's a women's tape
How is it? That's what it's like 'Ofa ke tolonga 'o takutuna'a It's a safe country
David’s Lamentation - Joshua Shank
When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went to his chamber and wept.
And as he wept, he wept and said
O my son, O my son,
Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom my son.
Plaudite Omnis Terra - Giovanni Gabrieli
Plaudite, psallite, iubilate Deo, omnis terra—alleluja.
Benedicant Dominum omnes gentes, collaudantes eum—alleluja.
Quia fecit nobiscum Dominus misericordiam suam—alleluja.
Et captivam duxit captivitatem, admirabilis et gloriosus in saecula—alleluja.
Clap your hands, sing psalms, rejoice in God, all ye lands—alleluia.
Let all nations bless the Lord, praising Him together—alleluia.
For the Lord has shown His mercy toward us—alleluia.
And led captivity captive, wonderful and glorious forever—alleluia.
O Magnum Mysterium - Francis Poulenc
O magnum mysterium,
Et admirabile sacramentum
It animalia viderent Dominum natum,
Jacentem in praesepio.
Beata Virgo
Cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Christum.
Alleluia!
O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear
the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
I Forgive - Shireen Abu-Khader
To my siblings, I tried to make it, and I failed,
Forgive me.
To my friends, the experience is cruel, (and I am too week to resist),
Forgive me.
To the world, you were cruel to a great extent,
But I forgive.
The beautiful one, rose up with the dawn
Kneading dough
And the rooster calling, ‘ku ku ku ku’
Ngā Roimata o te Mārama (from Ngā Tūrama) - Takerei Komene
Aue!
He roimata ana a Mārama kamo
He rite ki te ngaru
E āwhitu ana a mātou ngākau pouri
Aho mārama i te rangi, kaimōhū ana,
Horapa whānau ana ki te moana,
He waiata kauri, he po pōhutukawa
Pō nui, pō roa, pō tiwhatiwha,
He roimata, he roimata
O Pūrerehua
O Tui i te pō
O Pihareinga
O Whangamatā i te pō
He roimata! He roimata!
He roimata ana a mātou kamo
He rite ki te ngaru
E āwhitu ana a mātou ngākau pouri
Titiro ki ngā waiata
Titiro ki ngā roimata o te tūrama.
Ah, me!
Our tears stream down,
They burst like ocean waves
Our sad hearts yearn
Light shining in the sky,
Stretching across the sea
Kauri song, Pōhutukawa night
Night forever and ever
The tears, the tears
Of butterflies,
Of the Tui in the night
Of crickets
Of Whangamatā at night
The tears! The tears!
Our tears stream down,
They burst like ocean waves
Our sad hearts yearn
Seek the songs,
Seek the tears of the light.
Arirang - Trad. Korean arr. Robin Park
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Arirang gogaero neomeoganda
Nareul beorigo gashineun nimeun
Shimnido motgaseo balbyeongnanda
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Crossing over Arirang Pass
The one who abandoned me
Shall not walk even ten miles before their feet hurt
TaReKiTa - Reena Esmail
The text syllables are onomatopoeic vocalizations of the sounds produced by Indian instruments
Smoking Can Kill - Jaakko Mäntijärvi
Smoking can Kill
Smoking clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes
Fa la la la, Fa la la la, Fa la la la la
Smoking seriously harms you and others around you
Fa la la la, Fa la la la, Fa la la la la
Smoking can cause a slow and painful death
Fa la la la, Fa la la la, Fa la la la la
Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury
and premature birth
and premature birth
and premature birth
Fa la la la la la,
Smoking can kill
Fa la la la la la la
Aotearoa - Tuirina Wehi
He ran noa au nō Te Waka-a-Māui e Tautoko ale nei e!
He unahi noa au nō Te ina-a-Māui e ngāueue ana e!
Ko Aotearoa tōku kāinga.
Ōna kakara, ōna mārietanga!
Tōna mauri, kāore he ātaahua i kō atu
Aotearoa – kura whakahirahira – ko koe tēnā!
Taki tūrangawaewae! Taumata okioki!
Te ihi, te Wehi, te Tapu, te mana
Ko koe tēnā, Aotearoa!
Te Tai Tokerau! (Ā! Hī!)
Tāmaki (Ā! Hī!) Herenga Tāngata, Tāmaki Herenga Waka!
Tāmaki Makaurau! Karanga rā!
Hauraki-Waikato! (Ā! Hī!)
Te Tai Hauāuru! (Ā! Hī!)
Waiariki! Ikaroa-Rāwhiti! Te Tai Tonga!
Aotearoa! Karanga rā!
Ko te wai te toto o te whenua
Ko te whenua te toto o te tangata
Toitū he whenua, whatungarongaro he tangata
Kia whakarongo te taringa ki te waha o Tāne e kō i te ata.
Ko Aotearoa te whenua taurikura.
Kauria ai ngā wai aroha nō te itinga.
Ngā kura mahara ka pūmau rā.
Aotearoa - karanga rā!
Takahia! Takahia te nuku o te whenua!
Hī! Hā! Hī! Auē! Hī!
I am but a plume that graces Māui’s canoe!
I am but a scale of the great fish of Māui!
My home is Aotearoa.
Aromatic nostalgia, tranquil beauty, rare indeed!
An essence – beauty without equal!
Aotearoa – beloved treasure you are!
My place of belonging! Haven of rest!
The essential force, the awe-inspiring, the sacred, the spiritual power – that is you, Aotearoa!
Northland!
Tāmaki, the gathering place of many people, of many canoes!
Tāmaki, desired by many! Tāmaki calls us!
Hauraki-Waikato!
The West Coast!
Waiariki! Ikaroa-Rāwhiti! The South Island!
Aotearoa calls us!
Water is the blood of the land
And land is the blood of the people.
Land remains while people disappear.
Listen to the chorus of the birds, singing in the morning.
Aotearoa, land of prosperity.
Enjoying favourite pastimes of my youth.
Treasured memories held dear.
Aotearoa calls us!
Traverse! Go, travel the length and breadth of the land!
Tout Puissant - Francis Poulenc
Tout puissant, très saint, très haut
Et souverain Dieu;
Souverain bien, bien universel,
Bien total;
Toi qui seul es bon;
Puissionsnous te rendre toute louange,
Toute gloire, toute reconnaissance,
Tout honneur, toute bénédiction;
Puissionsnous rapporter toujours à toi
Tou les bien. Amen.
Almighty, most holy, most high and supreme God, highest good, all good, wholly good, who alone art good:
to you may we give all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honour, all blessing;
and may we ascribe all good things to you for ever and ever. Amen
About the choir
Founded in 1979, and widely considered the first national youth choir of its kind in the world, the New Zealand Youth Choir has achieved considerable success since its formation, drawing from its unique cultural and geographic origin. Performances in New Zealand and fourteen international tours including visits to the UK, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore, Russia, the Republic of Korea, China and the Pacific Islands have firmly established its reputation for consistency, energy and excellence.
One of the Choir's greatest achievements was winning the 1999 ‘Choir of the World' title at the International Music Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, a prize they won again in July 2025. During their 2016 European Landmark Tour, NZYC won the Grand Prix at the 2016 IFAS in Pardubice Czech Republic and also all four categories it competed in, and in 2025 they won Gold Medal for Folklore at the European Choir Games Grand Prix of Nations in Denmark.
Though the choir excels in many choral artforms, they have been fundamental in ingraining Māori, Pasifika, and other multicultural work into NZ’s choral spheres. Under current direction of Rowan Johnston, one of NZ’s most prominent choral conductors, NZYC continues to do more, do better, and share choral stories of Aotearoa with the world.
Artistic Staff
MUSIC DIRECTOR NZYC
Rowan Johnston has a Bachelor in Music from Victoria University in classical singing and composition and a Postgraduate Diploma and Masters (first class) in Conducting from Auckland University. An alumnus of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir and the New Zealand Youth Choir, Rowan sings in Voices New Zealand, our premier chamber choir.
Rowan has previously conducted the Taranaki and Auckland Youth Choirs, was Director of Choirs at Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and HOD Music at Westlake Girls High School, where he conducted Choralation – the school’s premier mixed voice choir. Under his leadership, Choralation achieved 1st place in the Mixed Choir category at the Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Vienna, Austria.
Since relocating to Wellington, Rowan is now HOD Music at Chilton Saint James School where he conducts two of the school’s choirs. He also directs the Wellington Youth Choir and prior to his appointment to the NZYC Directorship had co-directed the Aotearoa Academy Choir.
Rowan is regularly invited to conduct choirs at the Gondwana National Choral School in Australia and is a Choral Advisor for the NZ Choral Federation.
MICHAEL STEWART is one New Zealand’s leading choral conductors and organists. He is Organist and Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul, Deputy Music Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir, and Music Director of acclaimed early music choir The Tudor Consort. Michael holds a Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honours from the University of Canterbury and a Master of Music degree from McGill University. He has recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and is a frequent contributor to Radio New Zealand Concert. Since becoming Music Director of The Tudor Consort in 2007, Michael has led critically-acclaimed performances of Handel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt and J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and has prepared them for several performances of Handel’s Messiah with the NZSO. In 2021 Michael prepared Voices New Zealand for a performance of Brahms’ Schicksalslied. He is a past member of both the New Zealand Youth Choir and Voices New Zealand.
DR MORAG ATCHISON has firmly established herself as one of New Zealand’s leading sopranos, pedagogues, and choral educators and studied at the University of Auckland and the Royal Academy of Music (London). She has sung roles with NZ Opera, Auckland Philharmonia, the NZSO, English Touring Opera, and Aspen Festival Opera. Concerts have taken her throughout NZ, the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Kenya, and Seychelles. Recent engagements include Verdi Requiem with Auckland Choral, Britten War Requiem with Orchestra Wellington, and a recital in Tunisia as part of the celebrations for the new Bishop of North Africa. Later in 2025 she will sing with Voices NZ on their European Tour. In 2022 her debut CD The Distance: Songs of David Hamilton was released on the Atoll label. Morag is a Senior Lecturer in Voice at the University of Auckland, works with the New Zealand Youth Choir and the Auckland Chamber Choir. In 2019 she was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).
