Who Are Matiu Walters' Parents? Inside the Six60 Star's Lineage and Whānau

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To understand the depth of Matiu Walters' cultural inheritance, one must examine his grandfather, Muru Walters (1935, 2024). Muru was an intellectual and cultural giant across modern Aotearoa New Zealand. Hailing from Te Aupōuri and Ngāpuhi, Muru distinguished himself first as a ferocious rugby fullback, representing New Zealand Māori from 1957 through 1965 and earning the Tom French Cup for player of the year in 1957.

Muru did not stop at sport. He became a pioneering contemporary Māori artist, a master carver, a dedicated educator, and later an ordained minister who rose to become the inaugural Bishop of Te Upoko o Te Ika (the Anglican Diocese covering the lower North Island and South Island). Muru was a scholar of indigenous sovereignty, theology, and traditional arts.

Growing up under Muru's watch meant Matiu was surrounded by traditional whakairo (carving), theological debates, and classical Māori philosophy. The singer often spoke of his grandfather not just as an elder, but as a standard of integrity. Muru demonstrated that one could operate fully inside contemporary Western institutions without shedding a single ounce of Māori identity. That core lesson became the structural blueprint for Six60's entire commercial philosophy.