Rob Thorne has spent more than twenty years as a noted taonga puoro practitioner, mentored by the likes of Hirni Melbourne and Richard Nunns. But his latest project is something of a coming together of all his life's work: including rock and punk bands. Ahead of the premiere of his new project, Manawa, at Wellington's Classical on Cuba festival, Thorne tells us about taonga puoro, his reo journey and gives us a taster with a live performance recorded in the RNZ studios.