Kairākau - First Episode

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2016

Te Ao Māori meets 70s kung fu movies in this Māori TV series, as a modern guide travels back to pre-Pākehā times to introduce "the greatest warriors of the past". Kairākau uses modern filmmaking tools (including roving camerawork, and the kinetic style of action films like 300) to explore ancestral history and showcase Māori martial arts. This first episode tells of Tunohopu’s utu, after an ambush by a Tūwharetoa war party sees the capture of his son and brother. Kairākau was created by Rangi Rangitukunoa. Kapa haka expert Wetini Mitai-Ngātai choreographs the martial arts.

Ruia taitea, ruia taitea, kia tū ko taikākā, ko ahau anake! [shake off the sapwood and the strong heartwood remains!]
– Te Roro-o-te-rangi's famous war cry