Whina

On 13 October 1975, a historic land march reached the grounds of Parliament in Wellington. The elderly, articulate woman leading the way became Te Whaea o te Motu (Mother of the Nation). Whina tells Dame Whina Cooper's life story, from her achievements as a Tai Tokerau leader to the hīkoi that made Māori land rights a key national issue. In this trailer, the teenage Whina (Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne) experiences the injustice of land confiscations. Adult Whina (Miriama McDowell) takes up the mantle for Māori women, and elderly Whina (Rena Owen) delivers a powerful kōrero (speech).

...Dame Whina is this towering figure, so it's easy to forget the day-to-day struggles that she might have dealt with, and the challenges she had to overcome to do the things that she did. Those are aspects that I think anybody, when they see the film, will be able to relate to. The more we learned about Dame Whina, the more we were blown away by what she'd done and the life that she led.

– Writer and co-director James Napier Robertson on the life and character of Dame Whina Cooper, in a press release for the film

Key Cast & Crew

Paula Whetu Jones

Co-Director, Writer

Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne

As: Whina Cooper (teenager)

Miriama McDowell

As: Whina Cooper (younger)

James Napier Robertson

Co-Director, Writer, Executive Producer

Leon Narbey

Cinematographer

Rena Owen

As: Whina Cooper (older), Associate Producer