Te Hira Henderson

Growing up in Hastings, Te Hira Henderson thrived in the school environment at St John’s College, where he participated in musicals and theatre productions. But it was an unusual church experience that inadvertently set him on his path to television. "In my last year of school, Ngāiwi, my first cousin died . . . my aunty asked me to do the Bible reading at the church service. I thought, Ngāiwi was pretty cool, and church is boring, and he would like all the characters in the bible to have a different accent." When a family member at the service heard Henderson’s retelling, they recommended he call Avalon Studios.

This unexpected source of encouragement led to an opportunity that would change Henderson’s life: a television assistant course at Avalon Studios, arguably the heart of New Zealand TV production at the time. In 1978, just 17-years-old, Henderson began his TV career. His role as a television assistant saw him working across a wide range of departments and genres — from sport and drama, and quiz shows to variety specials. "For a couple of months you could be doing sports OBs [outside broadcasts] and being a runner or rolling up cables", says Henderson. "Next you could be on a quiz show, or you could be working on Close to Home." 

After a couple of years of ranging across departments, Henderson chose to focus on floor managing. "I ran around being whatever they needed you to be; picking up the jargon was a pretty cool thing, because it’s a jargon of its own. On the different genres of programming, you pick up different skills... I was lucky to be trained by the most beautiful people in the world… as a young kid they looked after me." 

During his early years at Avalon, Henderson’s versatility in handling different aspects of production was key to his development, eventually leading him to a role as a television director. "I went on a director’s course at Avalon… and then up to Auckland I went." 

In the 1980s, Henderson’s work began to focus more on Māori programming. In 1984, after joining the Māori Programmies department at TVNZ, he found himself at the forefront of efforts to document and preserve Māori language through television.

Henderson’s most significant contribution came as one of the directors of the Waka Huia series, a pioneering initiative to record the oral histories of the last native Māori speakers. Debuting in 1986, the series marked the first time that local television had been used to document the Māori language and its cultural significance at such a scale. The series became a key resource in preserving the stories, songs, and traditions of these elderly speakers.

Henderson and his team travelled throughout New Zealand, recording interviews with Māori elders in remote locations. "The longer the shelf life of these Waka Huia programmes, the more valuable they become", he reflects. "So now I am getting phone calls from great-grandchildren, as well as grandchildren, who are asking me where they can get copies of the Waka Huia programmes..." 

Over the years, Henderson’s career took him across many different roles and sectors within the television industry. In 1994, as the television landscape was rapidly changing, he left TVNZ and founded his own production company, White Gloves TV. There he remained committed to his mission of documenting and preserving Māori language and culture. 

Henderson was director and/or producer for a number of White Gloves shows which screened on Māori Television and TVNZ. Between 2001 and 2004, White Gloves produced four seasons of He Wai, a popular youth-focused rangatahi music show. Henderson also directed and produced music series Ngā Pātītī Maota o te Kāinga, and contributed to the development of Apakura, which explores the history and cultural legacy of Ngāti Apakura, especially the impact of the 1864 Rangiaowhia invasion and the resilience of its people. 

His work extended into the lifestyle genre, with five seasons of Kiwi Maara and three of Maara Kai. The two gardening programmes showcased sustainable food practices and cultural knowledge. Henderson also produced and directed Aa Rau, which profiled Māori writers, a 2010 Waitangi Day Special, and interviewed a range of te reo speakers for shows Kuia, and Koroua. These productions reflect Henderson’s dedication to Māori storytelling and cultural preservation across music, history, and lifestyle content. A number of these shows were proudly trilingual: they were broadcast in English, te reo and sign language.

Henderson's later career saw him moving into other areas, including working as a freelance director for various companies. Eventually, he moved to museum MTG Hawke's Bay, where as Taonga Māori curator he continues to engage with Māori oral history, this time through museum exhibitions. He notes with a sense of full circle, that "when I walked into the design department, I could have sworn I’d walked out of the design department at Avalon."

Reflecting on his career, Henderson highlights his most valuable experiences. "Of equal importance as working on Waka Huia, was working at Avalon between 1978 and 1985. It set me up for life: how to treat people, how to be balanced, how to be bicultural. They gave me the skills to have a life and they gave me the skills to go out and record the last two native generations. So I am so thankful to them all."

Profile written by Jane Ross. Published on 22 May 2025

Sources include
Te Hira Henderson
'Te Hira Henderson - Film Talks On Air' (Interview). Loaded 19 January 2024. Accessed 22 May 2025
Ngā Taonga Sound + Vision catalogue. Accessed 22 May 2025