Mauri

With Mauri, Merata Mita became the first Māori woman to direct a dramatic feature alone. Set around a love triangle, Mauri (meaning life force) explores cultural tensions, identity, and changing ways of life in a East Coast town. Along with Ngāti the previous year, Mauri played a key role in the rise of Māori cinema. The crew of 33 Māori and 20 Pākehā included interns from Hawkes Bay wānanga — plus composer Hirini Melbourne, artist Ralph Hotere as production designer, and actors Eva Rickard and Zac Wallace (star of Utu). Mita argued that filming got better after she fired "racist, arrogant" members of the crew.