RamaiHayward
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
- Camera
- Producer
A pioneer of New Zealand film and star of 1940 classic Rewi's Last Stand, Ramai Hayward is credited as Aotearoa’s first Māori filmmaker, camerawoman, and scriptwriter. At the 2005 Wairoa Māori Film Festival she received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Māori filmmaking; the following year Hayward was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit. She passed away on 3 July 2014.
Screenography
Biography
Ramai Hayward is acknowledged as a prolific and pioneering filmmaker who shot, directed, produced and scripted films at a time when men usually took most of the key roles.
After starring in 1940 classic Rewi's Last Stand, she became the first Māori cinematographer. When Hayward and her husband Rudall Hayward went to England soon after, she was one of the only women in the UK working behind the camera. The pair also made films in New Zealand and Australia and in the 50s filmed in communist China, at a time when few foriegn filmmakers were allowed in the country.
Awards
2006 New Zealand Order of Merit
For Services to Film and Television
2005 Wairoa Māori Film Festival
Lifetime Achievement Award
1994 Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Awards
Ngā Tohu a tā Kingi Ihaka/Sir Kingi Ihaka Award
“It costs a lot of money to make films, and it kept us poor. It kept us happy because it was an adventure all the time.”