Che Fu takes Navigator back on the road 25 years after defining music in Aotearoa NZ

Che Fu is taking one of Aotearoa’s most influential albums back on the road, 25 years after Navigator helped change the sound of New Zealand music.

The album, which debuted at number one in 2001 and went multi-platinum, will return to stages around Aotearoa in October with Che Fu and The Kratez, alongside special guests Aaradhna, Betty-Anne and King Kapisi.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Che Fu says the tour is a chance to celebrate the music with some of the artists he has long admired.

“Yeah, look, it's going to be an evening of hip-hop, soul, funk, reggae. With some of the most legendary people. And I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about Betty Ann, Aradna and King Kaps.”

The 51-year-old singer says playing alongside the artists has reminded him just how much music they have created over the years.

“As a musician and as a man in the band, it's been such a joy to be able to play their tunes because I'm not going to lie, it's fully stacked with so many hits. It's crazy. So being a person in the band room has been a lot of fun.”

Che Fu’s Navigator was released in 2001, debuting at number one and going multi-platinum as it blended hip-hop, soul, reggae, rock and Pacific influences. Photo/Supplied

The tour comes as Che Fu marks 25 years since Navigator, an album that brought together hip-hop, soul, reggae, rock and Pacific influences.

He says much of that sound came naturally from his upbringing.

“I guess the confidence came from my upbringing. As I mentioned before, I was raised by my grandmother, Moka Hekafa Ness, and I was raised as a Niuean.”

Che Fu is also Tāngata Whenua through his mother, who is from Ngāti Whakatere (Shannon, Horowhenua District) and Ngāti Taki Hiku (also associated with Ngāti Raukawa).

Che Fu is the son of political activists and musicians Tigilau (Tigi) Ness and the late Miriama Rauhihi-Ness, who were both involved in the Polynesian Panthers.

He grew up surrounded by the political and cultural movements of the time as his parents involved in the Polynesian Panthers.

As a child, he was taken to marches and events including Bastion Point and the Springbok tour.

“Being a young child and witnessing those sort of things definitely influenced me and galvanised my culture in me.”

Che Fu says he did not set out to make music that would create space for Māori and Pacific artists in mainstream Aotearoa.

Che Fu and his father Tigilau (Tigi) Ness. Photo/Supplied

“Sure, I was totally unaware of that. I was pretty much bullheaded and just doing what I wanted to do.”

Music journalist Martyn Pepperell wrote in a 2026 retrospective for Rolling Stone AU/NZ that Navigator became a defining record for a generation, saying: “His songs unified New Zealanders like few before or since.”

Pepperell also described Che Fu as a “genuine guiding light” for artists including Nesian Mystik, Scribe, Aaradhna, Savage, Adeaze and David Dallas as Māori and Pacific-influenced hip-hop and R&B grew in Aotearoa.

Navigator also became a record that reflected where Che Fu came from.

“And I had goals on wanting to create an album where it represented where I grew up and how I was raised. And that definitely came to a head with Navigator.”

Che Fu & The Kratez with the Auckland Philharmonia in June 2024. Che Fu is preparing to take Navigator back on the road 25 years after its release. Photo/RNZ/Sav Schulman

That connection has also been recognised by Pacific audiences. In RNZ Music's ranking of the top 21 New Zealand albums of the 21st century, Navigator was placed at number two, with then-RNZ Pacific news editor Koro Vaka'uta writing: “Has there ever been someone as cool as Che?”

He said the album was a record listeners connected with from “a place I can relate to as a Pacific person in Aotearoa”, while noting its influence on the rise of Aotearoa hip-hop.

A quarter of a century later, he says one of the most rewarding parts of his journey is seeing those influences passed on to his children.

“I've been lucky that my oldest is now a fully-fledged jazz musician.”

His son also plays in Che Fu's band, giving the musician a front-row seat to the next generation carrying the music forward.

Watch Che Fu's full interview below.

“So in terms of a legacy and that type of thing, I just hope that people were inspired in a positive way when they heard my tunes, man.”

Che Fu says still being able to perform, especially alongside his son, is the real privilege.

“I'm so stoked to be able to come out here around Aotearoa playing music, still be able to come out here and perform is absolute privilege.”

The Navigator tour is expected to hit the road in the first few weeks of October.