Family and Stroke
Resources for rangatahi and tamariki whose parent or loved one has had a stroke can be found here
Uta's story
By Stroke Aotearoa
In 2024, Uta Te Whanga Ripia-McGregor, was awarded the winning prize for his waiata about his grandfather's devasting stroke that his changed his life.
Last year's winner of the Play It Strange Te Reo Māori Songwriting Competition, 16-year-old Uta Te Whanga Ripia-McGregor, is not only an extremely talented musician – he also has a message to share about stroke.
Uta's winning waiata, "Aku Karu Pohewa", is about his grandfather and the stroke that changed his life 11 years ago.
Uta was only 5 years old when his koro experienced a major stroke. It left him paralysed on one side of his body and severely limited his ability to speak.
"All his mind is still there. He just can't properly express himself."
Uta and his family moved in with his koro two years ago, after his grandmother died. And when Uta heard about Play It Strange, he decided to bring two things he loves together: music and his whānau.
"I like making music, I primarily play drums and percussion, but I can play piano. And my parents are musicians."
Uta had written part of the music for his waiata, and was waiting for the right lyrics to pair with it. Then with his mum's support, he wrote lyrics describing his koro's experience living with stroke.
When asked how it felt when he found out his song was a winner, Uta says,
"I don't know how to describe it... pretty buzzy!"
From there, Uta performed his song on stage and also had the chance to record it professionally. He chose to record in Dunedin, so his cousin studying at the University of Otago could be involved in the recording process. Uta's koro was also part of the recording process.
"He features on the song! It's just him saying 'hey'."
As well as having the opportunity to record his waiata professionally, Uta also received a $500 gift voucher for the Rock Shop and mentoring sessions with Rei, a New Zealand musician with over 10 million Spotify Streams, 6 Waiata Māori Awards, and 4 NZ Music Awards nominations.
Uta explains what the experience has meant to him:
"I've been involved with music for basically my whole life, and I was going through a time where I was wondering 'Do I really want to do the music stuff or do I want to do something else?' But after Play It Strange and meeting Rei and performing live, I was like 'yep, I want to do this. I want to commit to music.'"
As well as helping Uta realise how deep his love of music is, the experience has also helped him connect more with his whānau and see how his koro's stroke has shaped all their lives. Through sharing his waiata, he wants other people affected by a loved one's stroke to know that they are not alone.
You can listen to Uta’s waiata, Aku Karu Pohewa, here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4LUcSyrrUrSSLzbPJMcDxs?si=c2a6bbebb6f94f39
Note: After this story was written, Uta’s koro sadly passed away. He was laid to rest at the start of April, surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones. We are very grateful that his whānau are happy to share how his experience with stroke shaped his family, including inspiring his grandson’s beautiful waiata.
