Tearepa Kahi
Tearepa Kahi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 March 1978 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Occupations | Director, actor |
Tearepa Kahi (born 16 March 1978), also known as Te Arepa Kahi, is a New Zealand film director and former actor of Ngāti Paoa and Waikato Tainui descent. Kahi is best known for the 2013 drama Mt. Zion starring Stan Walker, and the Pātea Māori Club documentary Poi E: The Story of a Song (2016).
Biography
[edit]Kahi grew up in Christchurch in the suburb of Papanui, and is of Ngāti Paoa and Waikato Tainui descent.[1][2] Kahi's father was a musician who toured with Billy TK.[3] As a teenager, he spent two years as a part of a theatre troupe run by actor Jim Moriarty.[1] He attended Burnside High School.[4] Moving to his grandmother's house in Pukekohe, Kahi studied history and Māori at the University of Auckland.[1][3] From 1999 to 2002, Kahi acted in minor roles on television shows including Shortland Street, Mataku and Aroha – Irikura,[1] and in the Don Selwyn film The Maori Merchant of Venice (2002).[3] Kahi's co-wrote the short film The Speaker with rapper Savage, which won the award for best short film at the Wairoa Māori Film Festival.[5]
Kahi's debut wide release feature film Mt. Zion was one of the most successful New Zealand films of 2013.[1][6] Kahi debuted as a television director in 2016, with the release of the Whakaata Māori historical drama series Kairākau (2016).[1]
In 2016, Kahi released his second feature film, Poi E: The Story of a Song, a film documenting the story of the Pātea Māori Club, Dalvanius Prime and the creation of the 1984 hit Māori language single "Poi E".[3] This was followed by a documentary of New Zealand reggae band Herbs in 2019.[7]
In 2022, Kahi released Muru, a dramatisation of the 2007 New Zealand police raids.[1]
Sgt. Haane, Kahi’s film about Māori Battalion member Haane Manahi, was released on 23 April 2026,[8] with a premiere in Rotorua on 19 April.[9]
Kahi is a member of the board of the New Zealand International Film Festival.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Kahi acted opposite his wife Reikura Morgan in the film The Maori Merchant of Venice (2002).[3]
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Speaker | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2007 | Taua | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2009 | The Flight of Te Hookioi | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2011 | Allan Baldwin: In Frame | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2013 | Mt. Zion | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | No | Yes | Additional writing |
| Poi E: The Story of Our Song | Yes | Yes | Documentary | |
| 2019 | Herbs: Songs of Freedom | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2022 | Muru | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | Sgt. Haane | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2020 | Kairākau | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | NZ Wars | No | Yes | Episode: "Stories of Waitara" |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tearepa Kahi". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ Hill, Kim (18 June 2016). "Tearepa Kahi: the story behind Poi E". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dann, Jennifer (5 July 2016). "Twelve Questions with Tearepa Kahi". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ Husband, Dale (24 September 2022). "Tearepa Kahi and his pathway to Muru". E-Tangata. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ↑ "Speaking out against graffiti". The Aucklander. The New Zealand Herald. 14 March 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ "2013 New Zealand Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ Ngawaka, Erica (16 August 2019). "Toni Fonoti Drops the F Bomb on the Project NZ". Demand Film. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ Potaka-Dewes, Atutahi (27 February 2026). "The VC that never was: Bringing the heroic truth of Haane Manahi to the big screen". Pacific Media Network. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Wilson, Megan (16 April 2026). "Rotorua premiere: Sgt. Haane film tells story of 28th Māori Battalion soldier Haane Manahi". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- ↑ "Who We Are". nziff.co.nz. New Zealand International Film Festival. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- English-language film directors
- Living people
- New Zealand film directors
- New Zealand film producers
- New Zealand screenwriters
- New Zealand television writers
- Ngāti Pāoa people
- People educated at Burnside High School
- Mass media people from Christchurch
- University of Auckland alumni
- Waikato Tainui people
- Māori-language film directors
- 1994 births
- New Zealand male screenwriters