Te Mokai was established in 1985 by W Nia Nia who with others began jamming on accoustic guitars at a place called the shelter. The shelter was established as a halfway house for street kids who were strung out on drugs with litterally no support what soever by their parents and society as a whole. This lead to the formation of the group with the sole intention to awhi (nurture) the kids with the intention of waylaying their destructive lifestyles with inermittent collabaration techniques using music as a medium. The original band consisted 10 members from a variety of musical backgrounds. Throughout the year there were a number of member changes with some members leaving and other joining the group.
Te Mokai 1985
W Nia Nia - Vocals, Guitar, Sax
D Biddle - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar
K Biddle (nee) Haenga - Backing Vocals
H Biddle - Vocals, Lead Guitar
Rana - Vocals
Y Ria (nee) Biddle - Vocals
P Brown - Vocals
R Gingles - Lead Guitar
D Tamatea - Drums, Vocals
Rodney - Synth, keyboards
This line up were the very first members of Te Mokai, but during this first year there were to be a number of changes with the departure of 4 members, Kath, Yvonne, Robert, Rana and Rodney. This left 6 members of the original line up. By 1986 there was another member added to the line up, P Te Puni a guitar player vocalist. P Brown was to leave the group during 1986 which kept the number at 6.
Te Mokai 1986
W Nia - Vocals, Guitar, Sax
D Biddle - Bass Guitar, Vocals
H Biddle - Lead Guitar, Vocals
D Tamatea - Drums, Vocals
P Te Puni - Rythum Guitar, Vocals
P Brown - Vocals (left during year)
This was the Te Mokai line up for 1986 though we were to go through more changes as the year moved along. P Te Puni left the group towards the end of the year only to be replaced by his talented older brother Roger. The addition of Roger and his uncanny multi skills in the field of music enhanced and broadend Te Mokai musical concepts that enabled the group to exspress their talents that had not beeen tapped before. Kia Ora Bro!!. Te Mokai also aquired the skills of another added member T Munro who with Wiremu did a stint on the national television programme WAIORA with the songs Na Te Pakeha and Aha Ko Kahinga.
This line up of Te Mokai won overall winners of the 1986 - 89FM battle of the bands held at the Sandown Park Motor Hotel in Gisborne. By this time the band had been gaining experiance in the big New Zealand wide world of music and had played at variety of concerts and gigs. Te Mokai by this time were cutting demo tapes in Gisbornes Capture Studios and by this time had enough material to cut two albums.
Te Mokai 1987
W Nia Nia - Vocals
D Biddle - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
H Biddle - Guitar, Vocals
D Tamatea - Drums, Vocals
R Te Puni - Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Vocals
T Munro - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Vocals
This was a good year for Te Mokai 87, we had been involved in a number of cool gigs that year. Te Mokai made a television appearance on a series show With A Bucket On Your Head a comedy, musical programme that was aired around Jan of 1988. It was also the year we won the band section of New Zealands Telequest with the song He Tohu Aroha. This was good for us due to television exposure twice in 1987 and then early in 1988. The prize money from this show went towards our album Totara Tree which was completed in 1989, and had been nominated for the Indiginous section of the New Zealand music awards only to come second to another well know New Zealand band Herbs.
Te Mokai 1988
W Nia Nia - Vocals
D Biddle - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
H Biddle - Lead Guitar, Vocals
D Tamatea - Drums, Vocals
R Te Puni - Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Vocals
T Munro - Guitar, Vocals
Te mokai 88 was to lose members T Munro and D Biddle in this year. Derek was to join us though on our North Island tour with our support band Reachout. Also with us was B Cameron who played the drums though he didn't stay with us too long but was with us when recording demos' from capture studio's. This was the year Te Mokai appeared on the first of our two appearences on New Zealand telethon with the 3rd version of Taku Wawata . There were to be another two added to the line up in this year, D Hooper, M Te Puni.
Reachout
Back:R Rewiri, P Puhipuhi, P Powell, P Ratapu, E Te Puni
Front:J Ratapu (nee Leach), M Te Puni
Reachout were the prodigy of a music programme that was formed in Tiniroto to encourage youth with music incentives. This programme was also designed to help youth to get on with one and other and was later moved into Gisborne based at the Gisborne Outdoor Theartre which was located along Marine Drive next to the Awapuni Stadium. Reachout were to travel with Te Mokai on a later tour of the South Island in 1990. Their skills were apreciated by members for their help with roading activities and touring logistics.
Their musical abilities in areas of song writing and composing was outstanding i.e.
And many more, there were also a number of changes to Reachout before the NI tour initially began, other members involved with Reachout were:
P Goodwin, M Manuel, D Peachey, C Houkamau, D Hooper, J Ratapu
Reachout also cut a demo in Christchurch while on the SI tour. D Hooper and M Te Puni were also involved with Te Mokai demo's cut at the same studio. Michelle and Donna were to be involved with Te Mokai for a brief period while touring the SI and later gigs.
M Te Puni - Vocals, D Hooper - Keyboards
Te Mokai 1989
W Nia Nia - Vocals
H Biddle - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Drum Machine - Drums
MC 300 Sequencer - Music
Yamaha U110 Sound Module - Background
D Hooper - Keyboards
R Te Puni - Bass, Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Sequencer
M Te Puni - Vocals
1989 was a year we went through a number of changes with band members, this also was the year we did our South Island tour. There were two new additions to Te Mokai in this year Michelle did not stay long with the band and we had two new additions to the band, C Rimaha and L Pahuru. It was the beginning of a new roster of music with the fazzing out of original music and took on a roll of becoming a Show band incorperating a variety of different styles. With the additon of Craig came a change of guitar styles and musical application and with the addition of Lesley came the influence of Country and Western a style Te Mokai had not yet ventured into. Te Mokai musical style had been moving to more a rock group style of writing. This was also the year we did our second telethon appearance with the song Kia Mau written by maori songster Lionel Grant, who also performed this song on the series Waiora.
