Alexander Behse
German-raised Alexander Behse has produced a run of documentaries exploring Māori subjects, from ta moko to te reo Shakespeare, to acclaimed Tūhoe HQ story Ever the Land. Behse got an MA in production from UTS Sydney, and has many TV credits as an editor. He made his directing debut with 2012 TV documentary Nazi Hunter, and was at the helm of award-winning TV series Radar Across the Pacific.
Temuera Morrison
Temuera Morrison was acting on screen at age 11. Two decades later he won Kiwi TV immortality as Dr Ropata in Shortland Street, and rave global reviews as abusive husband Jake Heke in Once Were Warriors. Since reprising his Warriors role in a well-regarded sequel, Morrison has starred in Crooked Earth, Tracker and Mahana, hosted a talk show and a variety show, and played Jango Fett in two Star Wars prequels.
Mike Rehu
Mike Rehu began his career as a breakfast DJ. After a sidestep into presenting children’s television, he headed overseas. The trip was cut short by an invitation to return to TV, this time on the other side of the camera. After a stint in management for TVNZ in Singapore, he did 16 years running sports for ESPN and Fox. Lured back to be Māori TV's Head of Content, Rehu later moved into sports commentating and radio.
Richard S Long
Not to be confused with the newsreader of the same name, Richard S Long has had a prolific career as a cameraman and director. Since starting out in 1977, he’s shot news, run his own production company, and worked abroad, directing commercials and music videos in Asia and the US. In 2015 Long directed his debut feature Not For Children.
Tandi Wright
Tandi Wright was nominated for a best supporting actress award for her role in 2006 true-life drama Out of the Blue. Her extensive television resume includes long-running roles in Shortland Street, Being Eve, plus comedy Willy Nilly and hit series Nothing Trivial.
Brad McGann
Brad McGann's debut feature In My Father's Den won awards in Germany, China, England, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand; The Australian reviewer called it "one of the best films I have ever seen". McGann had earlier won acclaim for his moody fourth short Possum (1997). McGann passed away from cancer in May 2007. He was only 43.
Carolyn Robinson
Carolyn Robinson has presented TV news for roughly two decades. For seven years she hosted Nightline, and was a weekend anchor for 3 News (alongside Simon Shepherd). She also filled in as a weekday back-up to Hilary Barry, and fronted foreign affairs with Mike McRoberts. Robinson also hosted consumer investigation show What’s Really In Our Food. In 2016 she took over presenting 20/20 for TV One.
Suzy Cato
Suzy Cato leapt from radio announcing into television as presenter of TV3's Early Bird Show, quickly claiming her place as one of New Zealand's most beloved children's presenters. Thanks to the success of Suzy's World and pre-school favourite You and Me, her television CV now runs to well over 2300 episodes. In 1999 she set up her own company, Treehut Productions.
Gavin Wood
After working his way up through the ranks of TVNZ in the 80s, producer Gavin Wood travelled the world to work on reality game shows across 10 countries. Alongside work on the local versions of popular game shows such as Wheel of Fortune, he produced live coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony on the Auckland waterfront — which went live to 1.5 billion people worldwide.
Peter Coates
If director and producer Peter Coates was a superhero, he’d surely be ‘Renaissance Man’. His contribution to championing the arts on television is arguably heroic, and his career multi-faceted. From 1971 to 2004 Coates produced, directed or scripted hundreds of TV productions covering a smorgasbord of topics, from operas to soap operas, and from portraits of New Zealand artists to rugby coaching films.