Tom Hern

Tom Hern was a teen reporter on What Now?, before acting in TV hit The Tribe (as villainous leader Ram), Revelations - The Initial Journey (in the starring role as Jess) and Shortland Street (as the deeply religious Baxter Cormack). In 2008 he began a move into producing. Since then, he has worked on award-winners The Dark Horse and Everything We Loved, and a 2017 remake of Goodbye Pork Pie — as well as co-producing action flicks Guns Akimbo and Shadow in the Cloud. In 2021, Hern created The Panthers with Nua Finau. The miniseries dramatises the story of Will 'Ilolahia, who co-founded activist group the Polynesian Panthers.

These are always the kinds of real characters that I'm really interested in; these kinds of underdog heroes, but with contradictions to them. Tom Hern on Polynesian Panthers co-founder Will 'Ilolahia, the central character in TV series The Panthers, The NZ Herald, 31 July 2021