For singer-songwriter Robyn Kamira (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Tai Tokerau Whānui) founding member of Wai.Tai, this year’s Raglan Folk Festival feels like a homecoming, having first set down roots in Whāingaroa more than 30 years ago.
Running from May 1-3, the three-day festival – the first of its kind in Raglan – promises a packed programme of live performances, workshops, jam sessions and Ceili dance, drawing both seasoned folk fans and curious newcomers to town.
Although she only moved back to Raglan in November, Robyn has quickly reconnected with the local music scene – a path that ultimately led her to the festival.
“I know three of the musicians here in Raglan already, and they were all in the folk scene and that’s how I met Ray (festival promoter),” she says. “He’d never heard of us, so he took a leap of faith.”
Music provides a welcome contrast to her day job in remote IT advisory services and, for the self-described introvert, a chance to step outside her comfort zone.
“It was only 13 or 14 years ago my daughter and I got in front of our first mic. We were so scared at that first performance, I was looking at my feet,” she laughs.
That moment proved a turning point. “I remember playing and looking down and seeing people’s feet tapping, and I thought – oh my gosh, this is good.”
Now a seasoned performer, Robyn is a member and musical director of Wai.Tai, a band collective that reflects her commitment to weaving together stories and sounds as a way to keep cultural knowledge alive. The group, with its fluid line-up of both Māori and non-Māori musicians, blends a Māori worldview with a wide range of global influences.
“What Wai.Tai bring is te reo mixed with English, the intonations and rhythms that you might hear in cultural contexts, and Māori storytelling through song,” she says.
That ethos sits comfortably within the spirit of the Raglan Folk Festival, which celebrates not just music, but connection between people, cultures and generations.
For the Raglan festival, Wai.Tai will bring a contemporary folk sound rooted in the stories of Aotearoa. Robyn will lead on guitar and banjo, joined by Gumboot Tango’s Janet Muggeridge on mandolin, percussionist Wayne Morris, and local musician Redgie Valente on double bass.
Festival-goers can expect an inclusive, family-friendly atmosphere, with opportunities to learn, participate and connect as much as to listen.
This year’s lineup features some of Aotearoa’s top folk talent, including RoughTown, Gumboot Tango, Moon Goose, Wai.Tai, WilkieMac, Penni Feather, Swabs, Ceol Te Awa, Helen Capes and Fiona Murdoch (Dance Folkus), alongside a strong showing of local performers.
Weekend passes are available online at Humantix, while tickets for individual events can be purchased during the festival weekend from the Raglan iHUB on Wainui Rd and the Church Green Tent Village on Stewart St.
