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Te Rauhiringa and Jordyn’s special bond

The Seven Sharp reporter is singing her talented pal’s praises
Te Rauhiringa and Jordyn With A Why smiling together
Te Rauhiringa (left) says she is Jordyn’s “biggest cheerleader”.
Photos: Robert Trathen

In a few short years, artist Jordyn With a Why has gone from making DIY music videos on her nana’s doorstep and recording under a blanket in her brother’s bedroom, to releasing a highly anticipated album and winning an APRA Silver Scroll award.

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And Seven Sharp reporter and close friend Te Rauhiringa Brown has been there every step of the way.

“I’m her biggest cheerleader,” enthuses the 32-year-old. “I rocked up to her first song’s launch in South Auckland when I was working for [TVNZ’s Māori news and current affairs show] Te Karere. She’d done it all by herself, made her clothes and filmed her own music video with her brothers.”

Smiles Jordyn, 32, “All of these things were a dream at one point, now I get to live it.”

The dynamic wāhine first met in 2021 at Kura Reo o Raukawa in Tokoroa – an intensive week-long te reo Māori language workshop. Jordyn was pregnant and Te Rauhiringa couldn’t help but gravitate towards her.

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Bonding over their love of intergenerational whānau living and te reo – Te Rauhiringa grew up with Māori immersion education but Jordyn only started learning in 2019 – it was clear they’d be fast friends.

That same night, Te Rauhiringa, partner Mauri Oho Stokes and her sons Te Māpuna, 14, and Te Rangikohea, 10, found themselves sitting down to a home-cooked feast with Jordyn’s parents, siblings, son Toa-Awanuiārangi, seven, and husband Thomas.

“Ever since then, our kids have become just as close as us,” shares Te Rauhiringa. She has since given birth to one-year-old Taimaririkura, while Jordyn is also now mother to Pakotāiko, three. “When you find people like Jordyn and her whānau, it goes beneath the surface. Now our families are really interwoven.”

Jordyn’s son Toa-Awanuiārangi is besties with Te Rauhiringa’s lad Te Rangikohea. “Our families are really interwoven.”
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Jordyn, who was diagnosed with ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] in 2022, remembers when they first met.

“In a lot of spaces, I’m so aware of how different my brain is. So when I see other people that match my weird, I’m like, ‘We’re gonna be friends forever. You’re my person,’” she laughs.

It’s been an incredibly supportive friendship for Te Rauhiringa too as she explores her own potential neurodiversity. Doctors have diagnosed her brothers with ADHD. While she hasn’t undergone official testing, Te Rauhiringa instantly noticed many similarities between herself and Jordyn. She believes she also has ADHD.

“It’s just having those conversations about the power of understanding the type of neurodiversity you have and how you can manage it in these creative spaces,” says Te Rauhiringa.

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For Jordyn, an official diagnosis helped heal the negative stereotypes she held about her younger self.

“At university, I’d try to sit down to do a reading and just read the same line over and over. I’d feel so guilty and terrible about it, like I was lazy or irresponsible.”

Eventually she dropped out of the degree.

“So, for me, the diagnosis was really validating. It helped me forgive myself and develop new skills for my brain to thrive.”

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Both women credit their partners for always supporting them.

“We really couldn’t do all these amazing things our brains come up with if it wasn’t for their calm, neurotypical brains working behind the scenes and helping us,” tells Te Rauhiringa.

They hope sharing their own experiences and the success they’ve experienced will encourage other women to see the positives of neurodiversity.

“It’s not a negative thing – it’s definitely a superpower,” enthuses Te Rauhiringa.

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Jordyn performing at this year’s Aotearoa Music Awards with Music Hall of Fame inductee Dame Hinewehi Mohi (left).

Most recently, the duo collaborated on Waiata Anthems, a music initiative spearheaded by Dame Hinewehi Mohi. It sees New Zealand artists record or re-record their songs in te reo Māori.

With fluent speaker Te Rauhiringa’s support, this year Jordyn has released new song Māku Anō.

At the same time, she’s launched her album Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice, named in homage to her late beloved nana, in both English and Māori.

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“Little girl Jordyn always wanted to be a singer, but I got a lot shyer as I got older. It seemed like a dream that was way too far away,” shares Jordyn. The artist this month took out the 2024 Maioha APRA award.

“I think the fact Jordyn has released her whole album in both languages when in 2018 she couldn’t speak much te reo at all will inspire so many,” enthuses Te Rauhiringa.

It was only five years ago that Jordyn began reclaiming her language. She says learning with her family is the “secret sauce” and now Jordyn, her husband, her brother and his wife are all te reo teachers.

It’s a lot to juggle, but Jordyn wouldn’t have it any other way.

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“Amongst the busyness of everything that’s happening, I’m so grateful to be here and in the whirlwind of it.”

To find out more about Waiata Anthems, visit waiataanthems.co.nz

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