RawiriParatene
- Actor
- Presenter
- Writer
Actor, writer and director Rawiri Paratene, ONZM, first sprang into the public eye on Play School and comedy shows like Joe and Koro. In 1999 he played gang member Mulla Rota in the sequel to Once Were Warriors, and four years later was seen around the globe, as the stubborn grandfather Koro in Whale Rider. In 2010 he won further acclaim (and an Aotearoa Film and TV award) after starring in movie The Insatiable Moon.
Biography
From playing gang members to impersonating politician Winston Peters, Rawiri Paratene has won a reputation for his versatility as an actor. But that's only the start of it — Paratene has also directed for radio and screen, won a Robert Burns Fellowship for his writing, taught drama, and spent time as deputy chair of the New Zealand Film Commission.
Screenography
Awards
2013 Officer of the Order of New Zealand Merit
For Services to Film, Television and Theatre
2011 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards
Best Lead Actor - Feature Film: for The Insatiable Moon
“I still think it’s not too late for us to be bilingual. I still dream of a country that teaches Māori from five up, compulsory in all schools . . . It might not be in my lifetime, but it might be in my great grandchildren’s lifetime.”
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