Rawiri Paratene

Actor, writer and director Rawiri Paratene, ONZM, first sprang into the public eye on Play School and comedy shows like Joe and Koro. In 1999 he played gang member Mulla Rota in the sequel to Once Were Warriors, and four years later was seen around the globe, as the stubborn grandfather Koro in Whale Rider. In 2010 he won further acclaim (and an Aotearoa Film and TV award) after starring in movie The Insatiable Moon.

I still think it’s not too late for us to be bilingual. I still dream of a country that teaches Māori from five up, compulsory in all schools.[...] It might not be in my lifetime, but it might be in my great grandchildren’s lifetime. Rawiri Paratene