20/06/2025

Matariki with Ria Hall & The Auckland Philharmonia – Auckland Town Hall: June 19, 2025

Ria Hall and the Auckland Philharmonia perform songs of defiance and redemption to celebrate Matariki at the Auckland Town Hall.

In addition to her songwriting and performing, Ria is a passionate activist, who recently ran for Mayor of Tauranga. You may have also seen her as a television presenter on Maori TV.

But it is her debut record, 2017’s Rules Of Engagement, a concept album about the Tauranga Campaign of 1864, and more specifically, the Battle of Gate Pā, that brings her here tonight.

With no opening act, the well-attended show gets underway just after 7:30pm with the 60-piece Auckland Philharmonia tuning up and then, led by conductor David Kay, performing Reuben Rameka’s Hikoi before Ria makes her entrance.

First, a male voice his heard…it is Te Kahupakea Rolleston’s dramatic reading of In These Trenches, that precedes Te Kawa O Te Riri on the album and now, on stage at the Town Hall.

Ria sounds strong as the Philharmonia surges behind her. We’re only a few minutes into the show and already, I note that this is much more of a genuine collaboration between Ria and the AP that similar pairings where the Philarmonia was simply “backing” a vocalist and their band.

Ria has two women at her side…vocalists Arihia Cassidy and Ngakirikiri Kershaw provide support and harmony.

The evening is divided into two sets with a 20-minute interval…the first featuring the first half of Rules Of Engagement with one of the highlights being Ria’s soaring vocal performance during Forever.

The second half began with a rousing They Come Marching as Ria told us of her personal connection to the stories she was singing about, “a shared history that we must continue to have conversations about”.

It was good to see a mix of young and old, Pakeha and Maori making up the audience and cheering Ria and her friends on.

In addition to the second half of Rules Of Engagement, we also heard Chant, from 2018 EP, Manawa Wera with a new orchestration written by Tom Rainey…another of many highlights of the evening.

Of course there was an encore…how could there not be…it was Owner, another song from Manawa Wera and one promoting a collective responsibility to care for the land.

With Ria Hall’s political aspirations sidelined, one can’t help but hope that maybe this very talented artist with return to music, which, as she and the Philharmonia proved tonight, has the power to bring people together in a very real way.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk: