Marae Kai Masters - Series One

Marae Kai Masters puts a unique spin on the cooking competition format, with cooks who are usually found in their marae kitchens battling it out for a slew of prizes. The eight teams of cooks hail from all across the motu (country), with no shortage of personality and television-ready charisma! Across season one, the teams compete in a series of culinary challenges for $40,000 worth of prizes that would elevate their marae; such as high-quality foldable chairs, an industrial cooker and some cold hard cash. Presenters/judges Nevak Rogers and Te Kohe Tuhaka are joined by different guest judges each episode, who range from accomplished chefs to pillars of the Māori community. 

When I rang to let these guys know they were in the top eight, they were so cute. They played the message on speakerphone to their entire marae community, five times.

– Presenter Nevak Rogers on telling Kutarere Marae they'd made it onto the finalists, late in episode one

Key Cast & Crew

Nevak Rogers

Presenter, Judge, Associate Producer

Myles Thomas

Series Director, Editor (episode 7)

Simon Ellis

Cinematographer

Joel Haines

Composer

Te Kohe Tuhaka

Presenter, Judge

Kay Ellmers

Producer