Matua

One of the two strangers to approach Manaaki for Te Reo lessons is an introverted Māori teen named Kingi. Kingi showcases a sense of maturity beyond his years, which may be due to the influence of his neighbor and longtime babysitter, the late Aroha Roberts.

Kingi will be played by Rama Marrow. Rama is a young up and coming talent from Auckland. After finishing production on his first feature film, Northspur (2020), Rama looks to make his short film debut in Matua, bringing a high energy to the role and more experience than most actors his age usually have.

Manaaki Roberts is caught between two worlds; the Pākeha world, and Te Ao Māori. He grew up in the streets of Māngere, where he developed a disdain for his home-place. He moved away when he was 18, and started a new life in the city, pursuing a career in academia, and a personal utopian version of his own culture.

Manaaki will be played by Ngahiriwa Rauhina. Ngahiriwa was raised in Rotorua. After graduating from drama school in 2012 he has been working consistently as an actor both on stage and screen. Recently Ngahiriwa just finished touring with Taki Rua Productions in his first Te Reo Māori Show ‘Ngā Manu Rōreka’. This show kickstarted his journey to learning more about Te Ao Māori. Ngahiriwa is happy to be a part of this project, and to continue learning as much as he can.

Jerry Rāwhiti is an older Māori man who grew up and has gone through most of his life without a family. He is out of touch with his language and culture. After one tragic life experience, Jerry vows to make amends for his mistakes by reconciling with those he’s hurt in the past so that he can move forward into a better future.

Jerry will be played by Calvin Tuteao. Calvin is a New Zealand actor who has made his appearances in works such as Once Were Warriors (1994), Kawa (2010) and Legend of the Seeker (2008). Tuteao's passion for drama and culture has led him to be involved in numerous indigenous productions such as Colonial Combat (2019) and The Dead Lands (2020). We are very excited to have Calvin on-board the project where he will bring a very powerful and emotional performance to the character of Jerry.

Can we raise any more money in these last few hours? Every little bit helps! Thank you, thank you so much for all your support.

We successfully completed production for Matua back in November!

It was a fun and overall easy going shoot. No production is complete without at least a few unforeseen obstacles, but we were lucky to have such a talented and hardworking group of people in our tight knit crew, as well as some seriously clutch friends who were able to step in and lend some helping hands in a pinch.

We are now in the middle of post-production! We'll keep everyone updated as the film comes together, sharing a few film stills and progress updates along the way. Thanks so much everyone!