Aotearoa

Aotearoa (Māori: [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]), originally used in reference to the North Island of New Zealand, is now the most widely known and accepted Māori name for the entire country. It is often pronounced ⁱ/aʊtɪəˈroʊ.ə/ by English speakers, and is becoming widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. Since the 1990s it has been the custom to sing New Zealand's national anthem, "God Defend New Zealand", in both Māori and English, exposing the term Aotearoa to a wider audience.

Translation

The original derivation of Aotearoa is not known. The word can be broken up as: ao = cloud, dawn, daytime or world, tea = white, clear or bright and roa = long. It can also be broken up as Aotea = the name of one of the migratory waka that travelled to New Zealand, or the Large Magellanic Cloud, and roa = long. The common translation is "the land of the long white cloud". Alternative translations are ‘long bright world’ or ‘land of abiding day’ referring to the length and quality of the New Zealand daylight (when compared to the shorter days found further north in Polynesia).

Stan Walker

Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian-New Zealand recording artist, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. In December 2009, Walker released his debut studio album, Introducing Stan Walker, which included the hit single, "Black Box". The album debuted at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It also appeared on the New Zealand Albums Chart at number two and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

In 2010, Walker released his second studio album, From the Inside Out, which spawned the hit singles, "Unbroken" and "Choose You". The album debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and number two on the ARIA Albums Chart. In November 2011, Walker released his third studio album, Let the Music Play, which debuted at number 18 on the ARIA Albums Chart and number 12 in New Zealand, and spawned the hit single "Loud". During his career, Walker has won five New Zealand Music Awards and has received five ARIA Music Award nominations. Walker was a judge on the first and second season of The X Factor NZ in 2013 and 2015. He made his acting debut in the New Zealand film, Mt Zion (2013), and played the role of Benjy in the 2015 New Zealand film, Born to Dance.

New Zealand

New Zealand (/njuːˈziːlənd/ new-ZEE-lənd, Māori: Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses – that of the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu – and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Somewhere between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that were to become New Zealand, and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, became the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the British Crown and Māori Chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, making New Zealand a British colony. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 4.5 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English predominant.

Ria Hall

Ria Hall is a New Zealand recording artist and presenter on Maori TV's AIA Marae DIY in 2012-13.

Life and career

Hall was born in 1982 or 1983 and is of Ngāi Te Rangi/Ngāti Ranginui ancestry, and has three older sisters. She grew up in Maungatapu and attended Maungatapu School, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Girls' College. At secondary school she became interested in singing through kapa haka and later joined the kapa haka group Waka Huia. In Wellington in 2006 Hall created a reggae band called Hope Road. She sang at the opening ceremony for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and released her debut self-titled EP in 2011, which won Best Māori Album at the 2012 New Zealand Music Awards. In 2013 Hall featured as a guest vocalist on Stan Walker's single "Like It's Over".

Musical style and influences

Hall classifies her music as mainly roots and reggae, with influences of ragga, soul and hip hop music. She grew up listening to reggae, soul, hip hop and R&B, and her mother listened to country music.

All-star (disambiguation)

All-star is an entertainment industry (sports, film, music) term.

All-star (or All Star) may also refer to:

Awards

Literature