New Zealand artist Marlon Williams dedicated five years to creating his latest album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka, which is sung entirely in the Māori language. Its release comes at a politically charged time, as the current coalition government in New Zealand restricts the use of Māori in public services and recently suspended three MPs for performing a haka in protest of a bill seen as undermining Indigenous rights. Williams discusses with Reged Ahmad the experience of performing in his first language on a global stage and also shares a live performance of a song from the album at the Guardian Australia studio.