Wiremu Kerekere was born at Waihirere, the son of Karauria Kerekere and Tahua Kingi, and educated at Waerenga-a-Hika College and Gisborne High School. He began composing while at Waerenga-a-Hika College. When the college cultural group ran out of songs he wrote words to existing melodies and later worked with Tuini Ngawai and Te Kani Te Ua. During the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1963 the Waihirere Māori Club performed Kerekere's compositions and in 1964 his waiata were performed on the television programme "Songs of the Forefathers". He stated: "I have created and composed original music and lyrics for Māori and Pakeha songs for over forty years, and I still enjoy doing so." He added "My interest has always been in music. Inspiration to create and compose music for Pakeha and Māori songs came from Tuini Ngawai and Te Kani Te Ua in 1945. First creating Māori lyrics to European songs, then eventually creating original music both in English and Māori for Waihirere, Ngāti Poneke Kahui Rangatahi Māori Clubs, and groups like the Kini Quartet. etc. Over 40 years I have composed approximately 150-200 original compositions with some good results. The theme or kaupapa of each item is dependent on the purpose, the occasion, the reason for its oral and visual presentation, publicly.' He was a 28th Maori Battalion C Company veteran. He worked in the Māori Affairs Department in Gisborne for eight years and in 1965 Kerekere took up an appointment with the Māori programmes department of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in Wellington - a position he retained for twenty years until his retirement. He was responsible for coordinating with Māori iwi and planning the formal welcomes for royal visits and the Māori welcome at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in 1990.
He was on the management committee of Mangatu 1, 2, 3 and 4 Blocks Incorporated, and worked on the management committee of the Waimata West, 1A Block. He was president of the Waihirere Māori Club and received an OBE for his work for Māori Cultural Performing Arts in 1972. He composed the well-known compositions "Tangihia", "KaraNgātia e te Iwi te Manu Kotuku" and 'Tumaramarahoa".
Biographical sources
- Te Ha questionnaire, 1992.
- Te Ao Hou 50 (Mar 1965): 50.
- Into the World of Light: An Anthology of Māori Writing. Ed. Witi Ihimaera and D. S. Long. Auckland, Heinemann, 1982. 7.I
- Tu Tangata 23 (Apr/May 1985): 7-8.
Music
- "Tumaramaranoa." No details.
- "Tangihia." No details.
- "A Merry Christmas Time." 1958. No further details.
- In November 1999 this song was released with Kerekere singing with Billy Christians.
- "Taku Waiata." Into the World of Light: An Anthology of Māori Writing. Ed. Witi Ihimaera and D. S. Long. Auckland, N.Z., Heinemann, 1982. 7.
- The notes accompanying this waiata in Into the World of Light state that ‘Wiremu has steadfastly refused to allow a collection of his compositions to appear in book form, believing that his is, above all, an oral art. This waiata which opens Into the World of Light was specially composed for the occasion.’ In this waiata written in Māori and English, Kerekere ponders on the enormous potential for humankind if contemporary Māori could combine traditional taonga, modern advancements and aroha ‘in its many connotations’.
- "Karangātia e te iwi, te Manu Kōtuku Rerenga Tahi/ A Greeting to Queen Elizabeth, the Rare White Heron of Single Flight." Trans. Wiremu Kingi Kerekere. The Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse. Ed. Ian Wedde and Harvey McQueen. Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin, 1985. 295-296.
- The reference to the single flight of the white heron is reserved for the most honoured guests to the country. The editors of The Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse note that this waiata-a-ringa has been used twice to welcome Queen Elizabeth to New Zealand.
- "He Whakawhetai ki te Matua Nui." Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 1: Te Whakahuatanga O Te Ao: Reflections of Reality. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1992. 197.
- A waiata written in Māori which was composed for the Waihirere Festival in 1988. [Ref. Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 1: Te Whakahuatanga O Te Ao: Reflections of Reality. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1992. 197.]
- "Ko te Hau Ora Ahau." Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 1: Te Whakahuatanga O Te Ao: Reflections of Reality. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1992. 197.
- A waiata written in Māori and composed ‘for a group of young Māori who, although living in Australia, wish to maintain their identity as Māori.’ [Ref. Te Ao Mārama: Contemporary Māori Writing. Comp. and ed. Witi Ihimaera. Contributing ed. Haare Williams, Irihapeti Ramsden and D. S. Long. Vol. 1: Te Whakahuatanga O Te Ao: Reflections of Reality. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1992. 197.]
Non-fiction
- "Māori Delegate was Royally Entertained." Te Kaunihera Māori: NZ Māori Council Journal Summer (1969): 61.
- A discussion of the South Pacific Commission Regional Seminar on Youth.
- "South Island Competitions." Te Māori: The Official Journal of the New Zealand Māori Council 2.1 (1970/1971): 22-23.
- A detailed review of the South Island [Māori Culture] Competitions held at Mataura during Labour Weekend 1970.
- "South Pacific Festival of Arts." Te Ao Hou 72 (n.d.): 43-45.
- Kerekere gives a report of the South Pacific Festival of Arts which was held in Suva, Fiji in May 1972/3(?) The festival drew some 3,000 performing artists from the South Pacific Region. The New Zealand representatives included Kerekere, his wife Mihi, Rev Kingi Ihaka, and Manu Ihaka, plus the Waihirere Māori Club which performed at various festival venues, villages and special functions.
- "He Whakatau/Acknowledgement." Wiremu Kingi-Kerekere and Mihiata Parata-Kerekere. Tu Tangata 23 (1985): 8.
- This short acknowledgement in Māori and English follows a tribute to Kerekere in Tu Tangata entitled "Māori Media Personality Retires". This article was written on the occasion of his retirement from broadcasting. In his acknowledgement Kerekere thanks all those tribes who have supported him in his work and extends his appreciation to the tangata whenua of Wellington where he lived for twenty years.
- "Pioneer dies." The Dominion 12 June 2001: 11.
Sound recordings
- "Bill Kerekere Plays Evergreens of Melody." Kiwi EA 78 7in. 45 EP. 1962/3? No further details.
- Piano music performed by Kerekere.
Other
- "Bill Kerekere and Waihirere Club." Te Ao Hou 42 (1963): 5-6.
- Te Ao Hou 50 (1965): 50.
- Brief biography of Kerekere and a note on his appointment to the Māori programmes department of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in Wellington.
- "Māori Media Personality Retires." Tu Tangata 23 (1985): 7-8.
- This is a tribute to Wiremu Kerekere on the occasion of his retirement from broadcasting. There is a brief account of the history of Māori working in broadcasting. Kerekere also recalls some of his experiences in broadcasting.
- "He Maimai Aroha: Bill Kerekere." Mana 42 (2001): 8-11.
Reviews
- Armstrong, Alan. "Bill Kerekere Plays Evergreens of Melody." Te Ao Hou 42 (1963): 54-55.