Aotearoa-born Indigenous artist Theia channels fierce feminine power and Māori resistance in her new bilingual protest anthem.
“Theia will never stop being a voice for the unheard… [her] debut album has been a long time coming, but she’s really only at the beginning of her authentic artistic journey” – Rolling Stone AU/NZ
Award-winning Māori artist Theia has released her most defiant single yet, ‘Hoki Whenua Mai (Return The Land)’, a raw, genre-defying waiata (song) that reclaims Indigenous identity and power through haka, conch shell, and uncompromising truth.
Theia is an Indigenous trailblazer whose music defies genre and expectation. Once known for her commercial pop beginnings, she now steps powerfully into a new era—embracing bilingual storytelling, traditional Māori performance art, and a fearlessness to confront the legacies of colonialism. Her other project, TE KAAHU, is an award-winning alt-folk act performed entirely in te reo Māori and recognized globally for its beauty and significance in language revitalization.
With every release, Theia reaffirms her place as one of the most innovative Indigenous artists on the global stage—unafraid to use her voice, her culture, and her artistry to ignite change.
Drawing from her Ngāti Tīpa, Ngāti Amaru, and Te Ahiwaru lineage of the Waikato-Tainui tribal confederation, Theia blends traditional Māori composition and instrumentation with an alternative/indie edge—commanding attention with a haka that echoes across generations of resistance. The track is underscored by marching drums and the call of a pūtaratara (conch), sending a chilling message:
“Despite two centuries of oppression, we the tangata whenua (people of the land), are still here!” – Theia
But ‘Hoki Whenua Mai (Return The Land)’ doesn’t stop at sound. Theia has matched the song’s visceral energy with a visually arresting music video, filmed in the haunting forests of the Waitākere Ranges and directed by UK-based Māori filmmaker Ruby Harris. In it, Theia is joined by fellow wāhine Māori—Te Aniwaniwa Paterson, Kaea Heke, Bobbie Bailey, and Eva Mairangi—dressed in colonial-era gowns and moving like ethereal spirits through the bush.
“We appear as cult-like apparitions held within the forest, portraying uniformity, loss, rage and feminine strength,” Theia explains. Theia elaborates more about the fashion for the music video: “I chose these kaakahu (clothes) to whakatinana (embody/represent) the colonial trauma and Paakehaa (white man) oppression upon our tuupuna waahine (female ancestors) that is still felt today, furthermore the misogyny of Victorian whakaaro (mindset/worldview), puritanical Christian ideals and to represent loss of innocence in the many tamariki Maaori (Maaori children) that were forcibly stolen from us.”
Theia says the new single is a direct reckoning with the lasting impacts of colonization—particularly on Indigenous women and children. “So often the feminine narrative becomes overlooked when we discuss the plight of Indigenous cultures. This song speaks directly to that trauma—through a distinctly Māori lens.”
Co-produced with Abraham Kunin (TE KAAHU, Home Brew, Dalai Lama), ‘Hoki Whenua Mai’ follows Theia’s 2025 Aotearoa Music Award-nominated protest track ‘BALDH3AD!’. Both songs will appear on Theia’s highly anticipated debut album—her boldest work yet—scheduled for release later this year.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Theia is preparing to open for Los Bitchos at Zebulon on July 22, where she will preview more unreleased songs from her upcoming album.
Listen to ‘Hoki Whenua Mai (Return The Land)’ now on all major streaming platforms.
Watch the official music video here.
