Matariki Whatarau

Actor Matariki Whatarau has appeared on screens both big (co-starring as reggae musician Tau, in road movie The Pā Boys) and small (Go Girls). In 2015 he began playing a metrosexual Māori accountant out of touch with his culture, in acclaimed TV comedy Find Me a Māori Bride. He went on to portray Exponents bassist Dave Gent in TV movie Why Does Love? The award-winning theatre actor (I, George Nepia) trained at drama school Toi Whakaari. Also a singer, Whatarau has made screen appearances as part of The Modern Māori Quartet, including co-hosting TV's My Party Song. He presented 2015's My Reggae Song.

I was in my third year at drama school, Toi Whakaari, in 2009, and I was at a party, and I bumped into the director Himiona Grace, and he asked me if I could play the guitar, and I was like 'yep', and he asked me if I could sing, and I went 'yep', and pretty much since then I've been involved. Matariki Whatarau, on how he got a role in The Pā Boys, The NZ Herald interview, 1 February 2014