Dalvanius Prime
Encyclopedia
Maui Dalvanius Prime was a New Zealand
entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture.
, Ngapuhi
, Ngati Ruanui
, Tuwharetoa, Nga Rauru
, Pakakohi and Ngai Tahu
descent. The sixth of 11 children, Prime grew up in a house always filled with different types of music.
His best friend at primary school was Maurice James Fairweather.
Prime attended the Church College of New Zealand
located in Temple View
, Hamilton
during his high school years.
and worked as a cook by day and musician at night. His involvement with The Shevelles, a Māori female vocal trio from Porirua
, lead to several trips to Australia.
In 1970, Prime travelled to Australia and performed at the opening of the Sydney Opera House
. The resignation of Australia's Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
in 1975 inspired the song Canberra, We're Watching You.
In 1983 he formed his own production company, Maui Records. And he became increasingly involved with Māori music
. In 1984, Prime recorded Poi E
with the Patea
Māori club. The album was very popular in New Zealand, attaining platinum certification
.
He appeared in the film Te Rua in 1990 and sang the theme song "Chudka Pā Poy", which is about apartheid.
He also worked closely with Ngoi Pēwhairangi
, who helped develop Te Kohanga Reo, Māori language
pre-school system. He provided the music for many of her lyrics.
(preserved, tattooed human heads) from overseas museums.
Prime was an advocate for young people involved in court cases and victims of domestic violence
.
after a long battle with cancer
. He was buried in his family urupa at Nukumaru, South Taranaki
, New Zealand.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture.
Early life
Prime is of TainuiTainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
, Ngapuhi
Ngapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
, Ngati Ruanui
Ngati Ruanui
Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi traditionally based in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 7,035 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. However, most members now live outside the traditional areas of the iwi.-Early history:...
, Tuwharetoa, Nga Rauru
Nga Rauru
Ngā Rauru is a Māori iwi in the Wanganui region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 4,047 Māori claimed affiliation to Ngā Rauru, representing 14 hapu.-Early history:...
, Pakakohi and Ngai Tahu
Ngai Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand, with the tribal authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, being based in Christchurch and Invercargill. The iwi combines three groups, Kāi Tahu itself, and Waitaha and Kāti Mamoe who lived in the South Island prior...
descent. The sixth of 11 children, Prime grew up in a house always filled with different types of music.
His best friend at primary school was Maurice James Fairweather.
Prime attended the Church College of New Zealand
Church College of New Zealand
Church College of New Zealand was a private secondary school in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand, that was operated by the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was closed at the end of the 2009 school year.-History:Construction of the Church College of...
located in Temple View
Temple View
Temple View is a suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. Temple View was established in the 1950s out of the construction of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and the Church College of New Zealand by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
during his high school years.
Career
In the late 1960s Prime moved to WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and worked as a cook by day and musician at night. His involvement with The Shevelles, a Māori female vocal trio from Porirua
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
, lead to several trips to Australia.
In 1970, Prime travelled to Australia and performed at the opening of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The resignation of Australia's Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
in 1975 inspired the song Canberra, We're Watching You.
In 1983 he formed his own production company, Maui Records. And he became increasingly involved with Māori music
Maori music
Te Pūoro Māori or Māori Music is music composed or performed by Māori, the native people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance, as well as modern rock and roll, soul, reggae and hip hop....
. In 1984, Prime recorded Poi E
Poi E (album)
Poi E is an album released by New Zealand Māori culture group the Patea Maori Club. In 1984 the totally Maori language title track Poi-E topped the New Zealand Pop charts for four consecutive weeks, and was that year's biggest selling single - outselling all international recording...
with the Patea
Patea
Patea is the third-largest town in South Taranaki, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Patea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Wanganui on State Highway 3. Hawera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east. The Patea River flows through the town from the...
Māori club. The album was very popular in New Zealand, attaining platinum certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
He appeared in the film Te Rua in 1990 and sang the theme song "Chudka Pā Poy", which is about apartheid.
He also worked closely with Ngoi Pēwhairangi
Ngoi Pewhairangi
Ngoi Pēwhairangi—in full, Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi, was a prominent teacher of, and advocate for, Māori language and culture, and the composer of many songs...
, who helped develop Te Kohanga Reo, Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
pre-school system. He provided the music for many of her lyrics.
Advocacy
Later, Prime became a campaigner for the return of mokomokaiMokomokai
Mokomokai are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.-Moko:...
(preserved, tattooed human heads) from overseas museums.
Prime was an advocate for young people involved in court cases and victims of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
.
Death
Prime died in 2002 in HaweraHawera
Hawera is the second-largest town in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, 75 kilometres south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3 and 20 minutes' drive from Mount Taranaki/Egmont.It is also on State Highway 45,...
after a long battle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He was buried in his family urupa at Nukumaru, South Taranaki
South Taranaki District
South Taranaki is a territorial authority on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island that contains the towns of Hawera, Manaia, Opunake, Patea, Eltham, and Waverley...
, New Zealand.
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Poi E Poi E (album) Poi E is an album released by New Zealand Māori culture group the Patea Maori Club. In 1984 the totally Maori language title track Poi-E topped the New Zealand Pop charts for four consecutive weeks, and was that year's biggest selling single - outselling all international recording... |
Maui Records/Jayrem Records Jayrem Records Jayrem Records is a New Zealand record company which has been operating since the early 1980s. Initially concentrating on alternative rock and indie music, the Wellington-based company was, for many years, the main rival to South Island based Flying Nun Records, and produced records which had a... |
- | - | CDJAY377 |
| 2003 | A Man Of Passion A Man Of Passion A Man of Passion is a greatest hits album released by New Zealand Māori singer Dalvanius in 2003. The album was released after his death in 2002.-Track listing:#"Introduction"#"Love Train"#"Chapel of Love"#"Fool Over You"#"E Hine"... |
Maui Records/Jayrem Records Jayrem Records Jayrem Records is a New Zealand record company which has been operating since the early 1980s. Initially concentrating on alternative rock and indie music, the Wellington-based company was, for many years, the main rival to South Island based Flying Nun Records, and produced records which had a... |
- | - | CDJAY381 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Poi E Poi E "Poi E" is a New Zealand 1984 number-one hit song by the group Patea Māori Club off the album of the same name. Its popularity is unique in New Zealand as Māori music rarely reaches popular status... " (with the Patea Māori Club) |
1 | Platinum | ||
| "Ngoi Ngoi" (with the Patea Māori Club) |
- | - | ||
| "Aku Raukura" (with the Patea Māori Club) |
10 | Gold | ||
| "Hei Konei Ra" | 21 | - | ||