Damon Fepulea'i
Writer and director Damon Fepulea'i trained as an editor before turning to directing. His credits include Dawn Raids and Life After Footy, two documentaries exploring Pacific Islanders experiences in New Zealand, and comedies Jono and Ben, Funny Girls and Mean Mums. His short film Watermark was invited to 20 international film festivals.
Anzac Wallace
Anzac Wallace made one of the most memorable debuts in New Zealand cinema when he starred as avenging guerilla leader Te Wheke in classic Māori Western Utu. The former trade union delegate followed it with movies The Silent One (1984) and Mauri (1988) and pioneering Māori TV series E Tipu E Rea. He passed away on 8 April 2019.
Jude Dobson
Jude Dobson became a familiar television presence in the 1990s presenting a run of lifestyle shows, and then her own five night a week series. After beginning on quiz show Sale of the Century, she went on to helm almost 1000 episodes of 5.30 with Jude and its follow-up. In 2002 she set up production company Homegrown Television to make documentaries and educational films exploring parenting and family.
Bill Kerton
Bill Kerton has directing and writing credits on shows from Havoc and Newsboy to Jim Hickey’s A Flying Visit, but it’s his voice that will be most recognisable to punters. Duncan Greive of The Spinoff called him a "narrating genius" for his observational documentary voice-overs. Kerton's distinctive drawl and humour have graced everything from bogans to Neighbours at War, the show he also directed for four seasons.
Merata Mita
A passionate advocate for Māori creative control, director Merata Mita (1942 — 2010) chronicled landmark moments of protest and division in Aotearoa. Her work included Patu!, a documentary on the 1981 Springbok tour, and Mauri (1988), only the second feature to have a Māori woman as director. She features in documentaries Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen and Merata Mita - Making Waves.
Rob Whitehouse
Rob Whitehouse began his producing career in style with The Scarecrow, the first Kiwi film to win official invitation to the Cannes Film Festival. In tandem with late producing partner Lloyd Phillips, he brought Hollywood down under for Battletruck and big-budget adventure Savage Islands, and made mini-series Heart of the High Country. Since then he has produced and financed films in the US, UK and beyond.
Annie Collins
Editor Annie Collins worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and won awards for her editing work on Scarfies and Out of the Blue. But she is also known for an extensive resume of documentaries, having edited such landmark productions as Patu! and The Neglected Miracle.
Cohen Holloway
Cohen Holloway began singing and doing impersonations at high school. He went on to showcase his John Campbell impression on bro'Town and sketch show Facelift. After studying acting at Toi Whakaari, he won a Qantas Award in 2009 for TV drama Until Proven Innocent; Holloway starred as the falsely-imprisoned David Dougherty. Since then Holloway has played a gang member in Boy and a real estate agent in Māori TV hit Find Me A Māori Bride, and starred as a dodgy cowboy in Western Good for Nothing. In black comedy Fresh Eggs, he is a well-meaning husband caught up in a run of unfortunate deaths.
Rachel House
Toi Whakaari acting graduate Rachel House, ONZM, won her first theatre award in 1998, around the time she debuted on screen as co-star of short film Queenie and Pete. Since then she has shown her gift for comedy and drama in The Life and Times of Te Tutu, Whale Rider, and White Lies — and won new fans as a child welfare officer on a mission, in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. She was the voice of Moana's eccentric grandma in Disney hit Moana, and has been a panellist on Ask Your Auntie. House has also directed often for the stage: in 2012 she helmed a te reo version of Troilus and Cressida, at London's Globe Theatre.
Iaheto Ah Hi
Toi Whakaari graduate Iaheto Ah Hi moved into features with hit comedy Sione’s Wedding, after time in comedy theatre group the Naked Samoans. His play Tautai — the tale of a car thief emulating his Tokelauan fishing ancestors — helped inspire 2010 ensemble movie Matariki, with Ah Hi himself winning an award in one of the main roles. Alongside his acting, Ah Hi has also had a long involvement in the Kiwi hip hop scene.