Stan Walker Shares a Love Letter to his Tamariki in New te reo Māori Waiata ‘Kāinga’
Stan Walker Shares a Love Letter to his Tamariki in New te reo Māori Waiata ‘Kāinga’
September 14th, 2026
For Stan Walker, everything comes back to whakapapa and whānau.
Stan Walker (Tūhoe, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāi Tahu) releases ‘Kāinga‘ today – a deeply personal waiata written as a promise to his tamariki that wherever life takes them, they will always have a home in him and his wife.
The reo Māori waiata arrives just days before Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, continuing Stan’s commitment to creating music in te reo Māori and sharing te reo with audiences across Aotearoa and beyond.
Stan says the song is a love letter and a promise to his kids.
“No matter where my kids are in life, how old they are, or how far away from us they may be, I want this song to always remind them that my wife and I will always be their home.
We’ll always be in their corner. We’ll always be there for them, no matter what. And whenever they hear this song, I hope they feel the love we have for them, a love that will always be there, wherever life takes them.”
‘Kāinga’ is a taste of things to come, with a new album planned for 2027 and a return to live solo shows imminent. His upcoming Auckland orchestral show, A Symphonic Experience, sold out in just ten days, with a Christchurch show added to meet demand. He has also been announced as a headliner for Kingston Calling Festival in February 2027.
For Stan, what comes next is increasingly about the legacy he leaves for his tamariki. Kāinga begins with the most personal promise of all – wherever life takes them, they will always have somewhere to call home.
‘Kāinga’ is out now on all streaming platforms. The reo Pākehā version, ‘Home’ follows on September 18.
Thank you to APRA Aotearoa for the tautoko.