Everybody's Trying To Find Their Way Home

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Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home is an independent podcast series created by acclaimed songwriter Jen Cloher (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāpuhi), documenting the experiences of Māori and First Nations artists who are writing and performing in their languages. The first season (2023) was nominated for Best New Podcast and Best Arts and Culture Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards, and featured in the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling program with a special live episode.
In season two, Jen travels to …

Jen Cloher: Rumaki

Since releasing their fifth album, Ko Au Te Awa, Ko Te Awa Ko Au, and the first season of this podcast, Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home , Jen Cloher has packed up their life in Naarm, (Melbourne) and moved home to Aotearoa, New Zealand. They’ve enrolled in a year long Te Reo Māori rumaki (immersive) language course at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki. “Rumaki means to immerse or drown”, Jen explains, “and for a beginner like me, drowning in the Māori language definitely sums up the experience.” …

Shellie Morris: Backbone of this Country

Dr. Shellie Morris (Wardaman, Yanyuwa) is a legend in the Northern Territory. Affectionately known as the ‘Mother of Music’, she’s spent the past 25 years writing songs with more than 70 remote bush communities. In that time, Shellie’s learned to sing in 17 different languages – many of which are considered ‘sleeping’ or close to extinction, including her own Yanyuwa tongue. In this episode, Jen and Shellie head to Kakadu to visit Shellie’s sister Mandy Muir. On the way, Jen learns about Shellie’s emotional homecoming …

Whirimako Black: Why Whakapapa?

Whirimako Black (Ngāti Tuhoe, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is Aotearoa’s undisputed soul diva, and one of the greatest living performers of waiata Māori. While her work has broken new ground for Māori music, her career has never been easy. When Whirimako released her debut album Hinepukohurangi (Shrouded in the Mist) in 2001, there were very few albums (let alone jazz albums) written and performed in Te Reo Māori. In this episode, Jen visits …

Byllie-jean: Learning to Fly

When Byllie-jean (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Pahauwera) released her debut EP Filter at the beginning of 2024, she was largely unknown. A year on and she’s become one of the most lauded songwriters in Aotearoa, recently picking up a Taite Music Prize (2025) for Best Debut Album. Byllie-jean spent her childhood riding horseback beside the Inangahua River in the north-west of the South Island. The influence of the ngahere (bush) and her capacity to …

Jordyn with a Why: Loving Your Māori Self

Jordyn with a Why (Tainui Āwhiro) grew up in South Auckland immersed in her Samoan culture. It wasn’t until high school, when her Dad suggested she take Te reo Māori instead of French, that a door opened into her cultural identity. Now her days are spent teaching full immersion Te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa while raising her sons with Māori as their first language. Her debut album Hibiscus Moon Love and Justice is written in rua reo (both Māori and English), and blends R&B, neo-soul, and pop to speak to the experience of being …

Te Raukura O'Connell Rapira: He Takatāpui Ahau

Te Raukura O’Connell Rapira (Te Ātiawa, Ngāruahine, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whakaue) has been described by their peers as one of the most strategic minds of their generation. For the past 14 years, they’ve been behind some of the biggest community-led campaigns in Aotearoa. They’re currently the CEO of 350.org in so-called Australia, a global community organisation committed to a world free of fossil fuels. Unlike other people Jen has spoken to on this …