Aroha - Mataora

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2002

When traumatised soldier Matiu returns from service overseas, he struggles to reconnect with his wife and children. In this episode of te reo series Aroha, the marriage between Matiu (Te Kauri Wihongi) and Wai (Rena Owen) mirrors the Māori legend of Niwareka and Mataora, a union between spiritual and earthly worlds. Matiu decides to seek out his ghosts; he symbolises his reunion with his family through a facial tā moko performed by his father-in-law (Wi Kuki Kaa). Mataroa was written by Aroha co-creator Karen Sidney. It won an award at Canadian festival ImagineNATIVE.

We won the fighting alright, in somebody else's land, fighting somebody else's family ... we won the fight, but we lost our way. We couldn't come back.
– The ghost of a fallen soldier accompanies Matiu on his journey