Matching family tree profiles for Wiremu Peka Kingi Kerekere, OBE
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About Wiremu Peka Kingi Kerekere, OBE
Wiremu Kerekere 1923-2011 (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) Wiremu (Bill) Kerekere was always proud to identify with the East Coast settlement of Waihīrere south of Gisborne where he spent his formative years. He was a gifted musician and songwriter and he was a leader of the famous Waihīrere Māori Club.
At age 12 years he was a drawcard at many dancehall performances where people would flock in anticipation of witnessing his unique piano playing style. Kerekere went on to play the cabaret circuit and he had a love of jazz music, with an admiration for great vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and in particular Nat King Cole, all the while composing his own music.
In 1964 Kerekere started working at the newly-established New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s Māori Programmes section with Leo Fowler. They were a common sight at many Māori hui of significance throughout the country with their microphones and other equipment, recording mihi, waiata and proceedings which would then be packaged and put to air.
He continued working as a consultant for radio in Wellington, even after the main Māori broadcasting unit moved to Auckland in the late 1970s. Bill was recognised as a Māori cultural representative and he accompanied Māori concert parties on significant overseas trips such as the ground-breaking visit to China in 1980, with Reverend Kīngi Ihaka and Kara Puketapu.
In this excerpt from the radio programme Te Reo o te Pipiwharauroa, Kerekere shares examples of waiata Māori composed for youth and performing groups by Rev. Kīngi Ihaka and others.
https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/set/item/441?lang=en
KEREKERE, MIHI (Te Haumihiata Sarah - nee PARATA) 30.8.23 - 3.3.1989 KEREKERE, BILL (Wiremu Peka Kingi) 8.8.23 - 10.6.2001 KEREKERE, RIA (Kohi Karauria) 13.1.47 - 7.1.2004 KEREKEREANDERSON, AROHA (Aroha Moana) 31.3.71 - 6.11.2012 We still think of you all EVERY DAY and we share with the next generations, the memories, the music and the love that YOU all shared with us. Missing you all sooo much. Na, Te Whanau Kerekere
http://gisborneherald.co.nz/familynotices/2341852-137/kerekere
- Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Dec 3 2020, 3:43:30 UTC
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Wiremu Peka Kingi Kerekere, OBE's Timeline
| 1923 |
August 8, 1923
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Gisborne, New Zealand
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| 1947 |
January 13, 1947
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Gisborne, New Zealand
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| 2001 |
June 10, 2001
Age 77
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Gisborne, New Zealand
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June 10, 2001
Age 77
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Waihirere Domain Rd, Hexton, Gisborne, New Zealand
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