From Hamilton to & Juliet, Matu Ngaropo on summer sounds

Monday, 26 January 2026

Matu Ngaropo: “This is our whānau papakāinga. I’m here if I’m not away for work. All the family come back for holidays and lots of people are flowing in and out. Super grateful to be living on this ancestral land and caretaking for the future generations.”

This summer, The Post is turning up the volume with our series Summer Soundtracks — where artists share the songs and sounds that define the season.

In this edition we talk to Matu Ngaropo (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Porou), an actor, singer, presenter and musical theatre performer who has performed on stages all over the world. He’s played George Washington in Hamilton, been in Disney’s The Lion King, played his own work in New York City with MMQ and is “super excited” to take on the role of Shakespeare in the upcoming New Zealand tour of & Juliet.

Ngaropo lives just outside of Whakatāne. “Summer is beautiful here. The gardens at our papakāinga go crazy with fruit and veges. And the whole community looks after each other, sharing what we have. It’s a really joyful and bountiful time.”

What song instantly takes you back to a summer moment?

Too Young by Phoenix. It transports me straight back to the mid 2000s and summer beach adventures with my mates. Leaving the city and driving north or east to the beautiful coastlines that Aotearoa has to offer. I remember blasting this track in the car from my iPod to the car radio. We were some of the lucky ones to have an iTrip back then.

If New Zealand had a summer anthem, what would it be?

It would have to be a Fat Freddy’s Drop song. Roady! That big band sound, Dallas, lush background vocals, long extended grooves. Warm, hazy, luxurious good vibes that everyone knows and loves.

How does the summer season shape your creative process or sound?

Matu Ngaropo will be playing the role of William Shakespeare in the touring production on & Juliet this year.

For me, summer shapes my creative process as a time of reconnection. With family, mates and with the taiao (natural world). We hear the land and the moana singing. I like summer as a moment of taking stock and getting ready for the coming year. So sometimes that means hard physical and vocal training (like this year getting ready for & Juliet) or complete relaxation.

What’s on your summer playlist right now — any guilty pleasures or hidden gems?

On my personal summer playlist is Raumati by Jordyn with a Why, the album The Art of Loving by Olivia Dean and of course the entire original cast recording of & Juliet. Gotta get my head in the game for the show.

Where do you love to play or listen to music during the holidays?

I love to listen to music blasting in the car, on a hot day with the windows wound down driving on the open road. My own version of carpool karaoke where I can belt at the top of my lungs to all my favourite tunes.

What’s one summer gig or musical moment that changed you — as a listener or performer?

I don’t have a specific memory of a gig or performance that sticks out. But we are really lucky here in NZ with big festivals happening all through summer where awesome local acts play. I have heaps of hazy memories of watching live Homegrown music when I was young, and being blown away by the artistry and skill. And seeing people that look like me up there was totally inspiring.