The true elder stateswoman of the New Zealand music industry, Ana Hato is noted in history books for the quality of her voice and her role in the first local commercial music recordings. Hato devoted herself to music; only a few recordings bear her voice, but her influence and legacy tower above more prolific names.
Ana Matawhaura Hato possessed a voice that was beautiful, pure and unique, a voice that kickstarted New Zealand’s recording history. Hato was born in Ngāpuna, Rotorua on December 30, 1907, to Hato Mae Ngamahirau (of Ngāti Whakaue), and Riripeti Te Opehōia Eparaima (of Tūhourangi). The young Ana (Whāura to her close family) grew up in Whakarewarewa pā, a tourist centre where she was exposed to other cultures.