Ngā Aho Whakaari (Māori in Screen)

Overview

Ngā Aho Whakaari (Māori in Screen) is the national body representing Māori screen practitioners in New Zealand. Incorporated as a not-for-profit society in 1996, the organization advocates for Māori storytelling, supports the development of Māori screen practitioners, and engages with the New Zealand Film Commission (Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga), NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, and other industry bodies on policy issues affecting Māori content and creators.

Ngā Aho Whakaari traces its origins to Te Manu Aute, a loose coalition of Māori screen practitioners in the 1980s that drove the political agenda for Māori screen production alongside organizations like the Te Reo Māori Society, Māori Women's Welfare League, Ngā Kaiwhakapumau I te Reo, and Ngā Tamatoa. Te Manu Aute operated informally until Ngā Aho Whakaari was formally incorporated in 1996.

As of May 2026, long-serving Chair Piripi Curtis (Te Arawa, Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao, Tainui) stepped down after a decade on the board, including three years as Chair. Board member Whatanui Flavell (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāpuhi, Taranaki iwi, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Whānau a Apanui) was appointed Interim Chair until members elect a new leader at the Annual General Meeting in November 2026. Board members are elected every two years from the Māori film and media arts industry.

Membership

Membership in Ngā Aho Whakaari is free. The organization offers three membership tiers:

Full Member: For screen industry members with whakapapa Māori (Māori ancestry). Full members receive priority access to Ngā Aho Whakaari exclusive events and workshops, and can publish a profile on the Māori Screen Directory.

Associate Member: For Māori who are not working in the screen industry, including students and whānau (family) of members. Associate members receive access to some development opportunities, scholarships, and networking events.

Tāngata Tiriti Member: For screen industry practitioners who are non-Māori, including non-Māori New Zealanders and global Indigenous whānau. Tāngata Tiriti members receive access to selected development opportunities and networking events.

Māori Screen Directory

Ngā Aho Whakaari operates the Māori Screen Directory, an online platform connecting Māori screen professionals with production companies, agencies, and industry organizations. The directory is searchable by keyword, location, department, or skills. It is supported by both Ngā Aho Whakaari and Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga (the New Zealand Film Commission).

To appear on the directory, practitioners must join Ngā Aho Whakaari (free), create a profile, and activate it. The directory also offers corporate plans for production companies and organizations looking to hire Māori screen professionals, with options ranging from one-month search access to VIP corporate access with personalized crew finding services.

Te Māngai Pāho and Māori Broadcasting

Te Māngai Pāho is the Crown agency that funds Māori language broadcasting in New Zealand, providing production funding for content on Whakaata Māori (Māori Television) and other platforms. This dedicated Māori broadcasting funding stream is separate from NZ On Air's mainstream broadcasting fund and provides the primary public financing for Māori-language screen production.

Understanding the relationship between Te Māngai Pāho, Whakaata Māori, and the broader New Zealand film funding landscape is essential for international co-producers engaging with Māori content. Many Ngā Aho Whakaari members work on Te Māngai Pāho-funded productions.

Kura Reo and Professional Development

Ngā Aho Whakaari runs Kura Reo, a two-day program exploring te reo Māori (Māori language) and tikanga (cultural protocols) in the film industry, with support from Te Mātāwai. These programs provide professional development specifically for Māori screen practitioners working at the intersection of language revitalization and screen production.

The organization also hosts events, workshops, and an Annual General Meeting. The 2025 AGM was held on March 18, 2025, at Te Mahurehure Marae in Point Chevalier, Auckland. Board elections are held at the November AGM.

Taonga Māori and Cultural Protocols

Māori cultural materials, including traditional stories, imagery, language, and knowledge, are taonga (treasured possessions) whose use in screen production carries cultural obligations. Ngā Aho Whakaari members and their community advisors guide the appropriate use of these materials. Non-Māori producers who seek to engage with Māori stories or cultural elements must engage with appropriate iwi (tribal) authorities and with practitioners who understand the protocols for respectful and authorized use of Māori cultural material.

The protocols for engaging with Māori cultural content cannot be retrofitted onto a completed project. They must shape the storytelling from the earliest stages of development. Ngā Aho Whakaari provides guidance on appropriate engagement and can facilitate connections with iwi representatives and cultural advisors.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For international co-productions set in New Zealand or involving Māori stories, engagement with Ngā Aho Whakaari and appropriate iwi authorities from the earliest stages of development is essential. The cultural consultation process takes significantly more time than mainstream development timelines typically allow. Productions that attempt to add Māori cultural elements late in development frequently encounter resistance from both communities and funders.

For New Zealand productions, Te Māngai Pāho funding and Whakaata Māori commissioning are significant financing and exhibition pathways for content with Māori cultural dimensions. Ngā Aho Whakaari membership among a project's creative team is expected for productions accessing this funding. The Māori Screen Directory is the primary tool for finding Māori crew and creatives for these productions.

For non-Māori New Zealand screen practitioners, Tāngata Tiriti membership provides access to professional development and networking opportunities while supporting the organization's mission. The free membership removes financial barriers to participation.

See Also

For the New Zealand Film Commission, see NZFC in this directory. For the Australian equivalent, see First Nations Media Australia in this directory. For estimating production costs when structuring a New Zealand co-production, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. The official Ngā Aho Whakaari website with membership and the Māori Screen Directory is at ngaahowhakaari.org.