Music’s a dream job
Seventeen-year-old Hamilton student Meadow Mia McKinley Park is hoping to turn a win in the 2026 Waiata Māori Competition into a launchpad for a career in music
Meadow’s winning song was an original waiata Poomaarie/Say Goodnight, which blends English and te reo Māori. She wrote the song first in English and later translated it into Māori
Meadow used the Soundtrap app on her iPad to record the song, which was submitted just a day before the closing of the competition. Meadow said it was “a bit of a messy recording,” but the process was fun and freeing.
The winning waiata was written during a difficult period marked by burnout and sadness. Poomarie explores comfort, rest, and the idea that “problems don’t last forever… life goes on”.
Meadow comes from a musical family; her great‑grandmother Mihi Shaw wrote operas, however, her biggest inspiration is her older sister River, who encouraged her to take a music course and begin writing songs.
“If it wasn’t for her… I would never have started songwriting.”
Meadow, who was born in Arizona, USA and raised in Hamilton, said she had felt disconnected from her Māori heritage for years, so the recognition was meaningful. She has richly mixed Māori, English, Irish, Scottish lineage on her mother’s side, and American/Canadian on her father’s side.
Meadow said Hamilton Girls’ High School played a critical role in her musical development because she found more inspiration for songwriting there. She also enjoys creative work acting and painting, but says writing music is “more fun than anything else”.
It was her mum who told her she had won the 2026 Waiata Māori Competition, “I was so grateful… it felt unreal.”
Christy Ellen Park, believes her daughter’s song was “meant to be written” and describes it as “cinematic.” She also praises Play It Strange for continuing the competition despite limited funding.
In the future, Meadow would like to partner with her older sister River, who is studying music production at Auckland University.
She said maybe one day they will become a music duo, touring places and countries, “I feel like that would be really cool.”
She encourages other rangatahi to be brave, enter the competition, and not fear rejection.
“You don’t need all the experience… you just need passion.” She also recommends paying the $10 for judges feedback, calling it an invaluable learning opportunity.
Meadow during this year’s school production of Twelfth Night. Photo: Supplied.
