Kaihau was born Louisa Flavell in Whangaroa to a French father and a Māori mother of Ngā Puhi descent.

[1][6][7][8][9] Kaihau refined the song in 1920, when her daughter was one of several young women performing for the Prince of Wales on a state visit.

Kaihau rearranged the song, wrote additional lyrics in English and Māori for the women to perform, and renamed it "Now Is the Hour" or "Haere Ra".

[10] In the late 1940s, the song became popular overseas, being performed by Gracie Fields, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby, among others.

[14] In 1926, two of these songs were featured on a special New Zealand programme on BBC Radio in the United Kingdom.

[16][17] In 1928, The New Zealand Herald said that her music "spoke something of that elusive spirit which is the unique heritage of the Maori".