Alien Weaponry: The world is embracing Māori, why can’t Aotearoa?

Since releasing their first album in 2018, Alien Weaponry have spent much of the past five years touring their te reo metal around the US and Europe. They have seen te reo Māori and te ao Māori embraced by the rest of the world, and are challenging Aotearoa to better support Māori culture and people. Subscribe to Re: bit.ly/subscribe-re
We sat down with them after they opened for Guns N’ Roses in Wellington.
“[Some Eurpoean fans] can hardly speak a word of English, but they can sit down and learn the Māori words. Why can't people in New Zealand f***ing do that?”
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[@TheKalihiMan]

This happens in Hawaiʻi too. People in Japan are some of the most passionate outside of Hawaiʻi about learning hula, and many Japanese hālau hula and artists have even collaborated with Hawaiian musicians like Kalani Peʻa and Kealiʻi Reichel. Meanwhile, local Japanese (the ones who have lived in Hawaiʻi for multiple generations) are often even more dismissive of the Hawaiian language and culture than white Americans (sadly I include members of my own family in this criticism).

[@ruckitjoey]

If we don’t learn to embrace it, others will…it will help the future of the language (among other things) survival and awareness.

[@Benjamin-om3ih]

Seems like Te Reo is really having a revival these last 20 years. Music in Te Reo is constantly topping the charts. Alot of our biggest artists are Māori (including artists that do really well overseas). Alien Weaponry brothers are killing it overseas right now, definitely the biggest nz metal act, hands down). Their own show at the town hall, heeeeeaps of people were singing along in Te Reo. What am I missing?

[@MG-jb7wc]

Not enough, these are just small snapshots of society that you have singled out. Walk around and see what the average person knows about Maori culture and how many te reo words they know, you won't be happy.

[@nat22968]

I mean look at the current government NZ is unfortunately not in a good place right now

[@vivclark5697]

Tikanga Maori Bro - disrespectful

[@saoirseblue5353]

Love the passion and respect they have for their culture and language. Inspirational.❤

[@Angie-zk4ei]

I'm so happy they had a good experience in Spain! I couldn't make it to the show but I would be singing with them as well.

[@Kamala_801]

This band is awesome. Just saw them in Cardiff supporting Gojira and they were 🔥 :-) They are going far. Much respect to them. I will definately return to see them when they are touring as the MAIN act!

[@JSNB911]

I saw them today with Gojira in Munich and i was really surprised. Great and Heavy Sound!

[@raquelgraham]

Honestly, I found these boys actually young men by accident a few years ago. They went straight to Spotify and annoyed the hell out of all my seven kids and Moko’s. Only because I overplayed them and I found them first.I’m so proud of them.❤

[@DaveWhoa]

love your work boys, keep developing and belting out bangers, massive respect here from across the dutch from your brothers in arms in Oz. Kai Tangata is Slayer-level

[@ImmortalMachine]

Looking forward to seeing them next week supporting gojira over here in tiny Northern Ireland 🤘

[@kayemareedunn]

You were amazing at Homegrown and felt like the tides are turning and even more locals love and celebrate Te Reo with you. Kia māia koutou - keep being awesome here and abroad x

[@403fruit]

I remember seeing thejr kai tangata video when it first came out and knew these guys would be legends 🤘🏼

[@Tranxhead]

This happens in Scotland with Gaelic. And indeed across Britain & Ireland with the other Celtic languages.

[@siszi6]

So good live

[@ilsanta86]

I lived almost 1 year in Gizzy, and my mates were amazed when I was reading maōri words, and it's easy to me cause I'm Italian... I mean vowels are pronounced in the same way to latin or italian properly!! Isn't incredible that A E I O U in italian has the same phonetics of A E I O U in maōri??!! And it's not the same in english!!?? I love that! Few kiwi guys told me "hey you read maōri better than me!!" Ahah Once learned that WH is F the work is almost done 😂

[@Shapeshifter1210]

Im from Gizzy and live in the US. I miss the surf and Kai.

[@elliottborland3743]

Highlight of Homegrown! Best act on the Rock Stage for sure

[@YoutubeChannel-de1zj]

Bro you know First Nation and indigenous struggles all to well

[@poripipi]

awesome boys keep doing your thing

[@chicken.s00p27]

Gotta do a show with soulfly

[@piecritic4607]

This interview was one word: Awesome!

[@kaiulanicamuso2100]

Alien weaponry is the best 👽 ⚔️ 🔥 so amazing what you guys are doing with the Maori culture and it’s perpetuation worldwide.

[@patricknepe8850]

My god 😮Spanish people know more Maori then Aotearoa

[@reflectingtrees]

Kia ora 🤟🤟🤟

[@patricknepe8850]

Use rock❤

[@Windsurf254]

Why can't kiwis learn this language off Alien Weaponry . Because NZ radio stations won't play their music on the airways.

[@kennethmacalpin7655]

NZ radio stations generally don't play metal. You can probably hear them on university stations.

[@stahu_mishima]

MAHI NGA MAHI A TŪMATAUENGA

[@vivclark5697]

Tena tatou e Rangatahi - I actually find this clip and all other clips you have made on KZbin incredibly offensive and disrespectful to who I am.

[@kennethmacalpin7655]

These guys are whiter than me. One of them's even blond. How Maori are they?

[@macarenatizonbermudez9919]

Very. Most of the guys in the video kai tangata are their family. The dad of two of them is hald dutch half maori. I think the mom is maori too or part maori. They speak te reo, which not so many can say in newzealand. So yeah, the white boys are maori. Deal with it. This debate was already stale 4 years ago

[@kennethmacalpin7655]

@@macarenatizonbermudez9919 Do they sing songs about their Dutch heritage, or do they just pick the side that gets them NZOnAir grants?

[@macarenatizonbermudez9919]

@@kennethmacalpin7655 well, since they have freaking grown up in new zealand and not holland, they probably are more freaking conected to those roots. But they also sing in english if that makes you feel better

[@kennethmacalpin7655]

@@macarenatizonbermudez9919 I'm from New Zealand too. I'm all for people celebrating their heritage, when it's actually their main heritage and not cherry-picking 1/4 and ignoring the other 3/4. We see it all the time in NZ. Someone will be like "I'm Maori because one of my Grandparents was Maori", and I'm like "okay, what were your other three Grandparents, why aren't they important?". They're acting like they're pure Maori and dishonouring their Dutch ancestors. They should take a more holistic look.

[@macarenatizonbermudez9919]

@@kennethmacalpin7655 who fucking vares how many parts maori they are if they fucking are??? Bot his parents are maori and the kids want to preserve and promote the preservation of that culture. I dont think dutch culture is dying in it's own country. If it is, they can sing avout it if they want.

[@ollyx2]

Why should people be forced to speak a language?

[@aceduzit4973]

Force? 🤦‍♀️ More like Embracing it, acknowledging the indigenous people of the land, what's the difference with pronouncing Whangarei to pronouncing a common word like Sauvignon Blanc for example?

[@ollyx2]

@@aceduzit4973 indigenous = allways there so how are maori indigenous if they had to travel by sea to nz? The nz goverment is pushing mandatory te reo learning and maori culture ect in schools at the expence of the english history which is why we are nz - maori were living a hunter gather society before the brits got there how is that not forced and unfair to people who actually made and built nz? But you probably will call me a racist cause emperical data is white supremacy or whatever buzzword.

[@MG-jb7wc]

@@ollyx2 the brits literally tricked the maori into signing the treaty with unfair promises, would they have done that if everything was "legit"....... the way that evolution works, maori would have eventually probably also left behind the hunter gatherer life, and if they didn’t wtf does it matter? They were here first, that’s the point. Indigenous isn’t only “always there”, go and do better research for example go look up aboriginal culture. Your not racist but you’re willfully ignorant

[@BananamelonX]

@@aceduzit4973 Nothing wrong with embracing your culture and language bud but I think the dude's point is about how it's actually silly to make it compulsory for non-maori in education. I'm not really sorry about that, if that's the message.

[@MaoriMan76]

​@@ollyx2nobody forces yiu to speak maori! If you dont want your kids to speak maori home school them, its not our fault the government changed shit. Ffs I couldn't even speak my own tongue because of a racist school system...

[@paul5434]

Aroha my Brother's 🙏

[@taiwati7472]

Im maori , the thing i want to know iz. Whats going on with these guys havent heard. From them for awhile. Are they working on new songs or what. ? I check on there . Reactions. Even thats not happening anymore. Are they dying out like most other kiwi bands eventaully do. There last overseas concerts were in the u.k 2023. Whats going on with these dudes ???? Anyone out there know

[@vince8325]

They’ve been touring for the past couple years. I reckon they deserve a break before they cook up their next album.