Māori Composer’s 110-Year-Old Song Featured in Project Hail Mary

The soundtrack of the 2026 science fiction blockbuster Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, has brought renewed attention to the legacy of Erima Maewa Kaihau, a Māori composer whose work appears during the film’s emotional climax. The movie features a version of the waiata Pō Atarau, performed by the Turakina Māori Girls Choir, positioned alongside tracks by Harry Styles and The Beatles.

The inclusion of the song in a story centered on intergalactic communication and the bond between a human and an alien has been described as remarkably fitting. However, the song’s global presence has historically come at the cost of the composer’s recognition. Academic Austin Haynes has noted that Kaihau’s name became detached from the song, leaving her largely forgotten despite the track’s enduring popularity.

The Origins of Pō Atarau

Erima Maewa Kaihau (1879–1941), of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Te Ata descent, penned the original te reo Māori lyrics and vocal melody for Pō Atarau in the mid-1910s. The composition was adapted from a 1913 piano piece titled Swiss Cradle Song, written by Australian composer Clement Scott.

The resulting song, also known as Haera Rā, was written during a period when Māori and Pākehā New Zealanders were navigating their relationships as neighbors. By 1918, Kaihau had become one of the first Māori composers to commercially publish her own music. Her body of work frequently explored themes of memory, lonely individuals, sad lovers and farewells.

During the First World War, Pō Atarau served as a wartime anthem and a farewell to soldiers. Over the following century, the song’s usage expanded to include memorials, leaving parties, and funerals. In 2024, the piece was included in The Aotearoa Songbook to celebrate the legacy of waiata Māori.

From Aotearoa to Global Fame

The song’s transition to a global hit occurred after British actress and singer Gracie Fields heard the piece performed in the 1940s at the home of tourist guide Rangitīaria Dennan in Rotorua. This led to the song becoming worldwide famous under English titles such as The Māori Farewell or Now is the Hour.

The English version was recorded by several high-profile artists, including:

• Gracie Fields
• Bing Crosby
• Vera Lynn

Despite this international success, Kaihau did not receive the payment or attribution she deserved. While she was a recognized composer and singer in her time and used her music to foster understanding between Māori and Pākehā, her contributions were largely obscured as the song became a global standard.

Preservation and Modern Recognition

The survival of the song’s various iterations is partly due to the work of Murdoch Riley, owner of Viking Seven Seas in Wellington. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Riley recorded Māori, Fijian, Samoan, and Tahitian music, including a version of Pō Atarau by Keith and Nancy Southern. Music publisher Jan Hellriegel has described this catalogue as groundbreaking and essential for the preservation of these recordings.

The current appearance of the song in Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller with a score by Daniel Pemberton, has provided a new platform for reconstructing Kaihau’s story. The film’s use of the Turakina Māori Girls Choir version brings the 110-year-old composition back into the global spotlight, highlighting the enduring power of Kaihau’s original lyrics and melody.

It’s a real shame that she has lain forgotten for such a long time, and that the song has become detached from her own name and kōrero, her own story

Austin Haynes