Pokarekare Ana
Pokarekare Ana is a traditional New Zealand love song.
It is not clear who the original composer or composers were but it is believed it was written towards the end of the 19th century and was becoming popular as a song around the start of World War I in 1914.
Māori song-writer Paraire Tomoana, who wrote down and published the melody in 1917 and published the words later in 1921, wrote that "it emanated from the North of Auckland and was popularised by Māori soldiers who were training near Auckland before embarking for the war in Europe".
The song is very popular in New Zealand and is sometimes called the country's unofficial national anthem. It has also been adopted and used in commercial advertising campaigns and by sporting organisations including Air New Zealand's television advertisments and at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
Pokarekare Ana has been recorded by many professionals including native New Zealander Hayley Westenra and the British tenor, Russell Watson.