Ngā Toi
Like a supernatural being, Toi, we acknowledge
you.
The heart quickens at your call.
Your heart gladdens the spirit,
your spirit releases the voice,
your voice opens the mind,
the mind weaves the words,
weaving the words carves the inherited
treasures.
Inspired by your image, sound resonates,
performance thrives, the many faces of imagery
captures the eye.
Linked by a soaring voice,
fix your eyes on the people.
From traditions etched in the future let your
breath be felt.
Ignite imagination!
Let the mind create beyond what is seen,
so that the arts that inspire continue to do
so.
Let everyone know that the arts celebrate the
present and create the future.
(Translation of Iho Toi by Hirini Melbourne,
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, 2010, p. 98)
