Shaking the marae grounds at Waitangi

Black Comet’s Laughton Kora isn’t afraid of a little disruption — even at Waitangi.

In 2024, he quite literally shook the foundations, he says, providing the sound design as Māori artist and activist Tāme Iti was welcomed onto Te Whare Rūnanga.

“That’s a big thing for me because I was able to bring in four subs to Waitangi,” Kora told Music 101, speaking while in rehearsals for upcoming shows with UK legends UB40. “And they’re like, ‘Boy, can you turn it down? We can’t hear the speeches,’ and I looked at them and I was just like, I think that’s what he’s after.”