by Regan Taylor, Sunday Stay Times, June 21, 2026 Regan Taylor Regan Taylor (Ko Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pikiao ōku iwi Tēna Tātou) is an actor, director, tutor and theatremaker. He stars in Te Rakau’s upcoming production Waenga, on in 19 venues across the Lower North Island from June 20-August 12. Kia ora, I’m Regan. I’m 46 years old, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to theatre in all its forms, the making of it, the chaos of it, the community of it. I was b

Woman’s Day Magazine New Zealand | June 22, 2026 Cousins actress Hariata Moriarty stars in new play Waenga, touring the lower North Island Hariata Moriarty LAST FILM I LOVED Michael. I loved seeing the humanity, artistry and discipline behind such an iconic figure. It inspires me in my own craft. The performances were really beautiful also. MY BEST BINGE-WATCH Fleabag because the writing is genius, the performances are incredible, and I love the season-two love story and comp

From Culture 101, 2:40 pm on 21 June 2026 Siblings Hariata and Tamati Moriarty developed Waenga through workshops with senior Maori students at Wellington high schools, building the play around the recurring theme of young people wanting to understand a political world that often feels deliberately confusing. The show played to sold-out audiences at last year's Kia Mau Festival and has since grown into a theatre marae production directed by their father, Jim Moriarty. They've

by Atakohu Middleton | Jun 21, 2026, E-TANGATA The cast of Waenga. Hariata Moriarty (front centre) and her brother Tamati (in the suit) created the play after the 2023 election, based on kōrero with high school students aged 15 to 18. (Photo supplied) Siblings Hariata and Tamati Moriarty are the writers and stars of the provocative play Waenga, which opened in Wellington this weekend. The play will run at the Toi Aro Arts Centre until July 5, before touring the lower North I

June 15, 2026, Deena Coster, Taranaki Daily News Hariata Moriarty, the co-creator and lead performer in the play Waenga. Using performance as a tool to engage audiences with confronting social issues could be considered part of Hariata Moriarty’s DNA. As the daughter of acclaimed Māori theatre director Jim Moriarty and playwright Helen Pearse-Otene, she had seen first hand the power the arts had to transmit knowledge, including on tough topics like racism and abuse. Now, alon

May 31, 2026 Porirua News The cast of Waenga, a new theatre production exploring justice, power and civic participation, will perform at Aotea College in Porirua from July 7 to 9 as part of a lower North Island tour. Photo: Supplied/Te Rākau. A powerful new theatre production exploring justice, race and political participation will be performed in Porirua this July, bringing a story developed with rangatahi Māori directly to local audiences. Waenga, created by brother and sis

2 June, Regional News

7th June Conversations with Wāhine - Access Radio, Wellington Mycah Keall, Brooke Wharehinga, and the radio presenter Harita in the studio Excerpt of interview transcript (lightly edited) Harita: Welcome, ladies. So tell me about what inspired you both to pursue acting. Mycah: I don't know if it was like any one particular thing. I think growing up, I was very much in the performance world through dance and music, actually, predominantly. And I didn't come into acting until

June 6, 2026 If Tamati Moriarty (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Ngāti Koata, Ngāpuhi Hokianga ki te Raki) looks familiar, there’s a good chance you’ve seen him during your evening ad breaks. The actor is the face of One NZ’s Let’s Get Connected campaign and recently appeared as Kahu in the acclaimed limited series After the Party. This winter, he’s taking his new theatre show, Waenga, on tour across the lower North Island. TV show Avatar the Last Airbender. H

Hutt City News A theatre production exploring justice, identity and civic participation is set to visit both Upper Hutt and Wainuiomata this July, bringing contemporary Māori storytelling directly into community spaces. Waenga, created by siblings Hariata and Tamati Moriarty and produced by Te Rākau in partnership with Hurō Productions, will be performed at Ōrongomai Marae in Upper Hutt on July 17 and Wainuiomata Marae on July 18 as part of a lower North Island tour. The crit

by Alia Marshall 16/11/2025 Brought to us by the brilliant Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu, Out the Gate is Theatre Marae that seeks to start a conversation about incarceration in Aotearoa. Legends of Aotearoa’s theatre scene Jim Moriarty (Director), Helen Pearse-Otene (Playwright), and Tānemahuta Grey (Choreographer) have come together with 16 performers and a musician (Rameka Tamaki) to create this mahi, and I find myself excited despite the show’s promised heavy subject matter.

Sarah Catherall 12 Nov, 2025 06:00 AM6 mins to read Sharing experience: Rehearsals for Te Rākau theatre's Out The Gate. Photo / Stephen A’Court. Saulo Kolio stands on stage in a makeshift theatre and acts out the role of a drug dealer. It’s night three of Te Rākau theatre’s new play, Out the Gate, and Kolio, 49, is among the cast of 16. The themes feel hauntingly close for the Samoan amateur actor, who was addicted to drugs and alcohol until six years ago, and was jailed in h

BY NIKKI PAPATSOUMAS Caption: Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu artistic director and Out the Gate director, Jim Moriarty Image: Tabitha Arthur Photography | Te Rākau An upcoming performance at Māoriland is a collaboration between community and the arts devised to resonate with participants and audience. Out the Gate incorporates movement, music and words. It's described as “theatre marae” conversation about incarceration in Aotearoa, and is created with an ensemble of more than 16

Kaupapa Māori theatre is a site of resistance to market forces in the arts, writes former professor of communications, Barry King.

We are grateful for the ongoing work of the “Three Ts”: Taki Rua, Tawata, Te Rakau Hua o Te Wao Tapu — the pou of our theatrical whakapapa.

Two gripping stories from Te Rākau's Undertow series are coming to Toi Whakaari, diving deep into early Māori-Pākehā interactions.

Subtle set-ups are being laid for powerful pay-offs about how morally complex it can be to have a relationship with the gambling industry.

There is some heartfelt thought put into the pre-care of the audience before we watch the digital recording of The Swing.

Fiona McNamara reviews The Swing for Theatreview. Sexual violence, family violence and suicide will touch all of us in our lifetimes.

Mitchell Manuel for Theatreview: The Swing is the most potent and reflective film I’ve ever watched.