Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne’s Star on the Rise

It’s been 10 years since her debut as Kahu in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople at age 13, and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne’s career continues to soar, Eda Tang writes for Stuff. Named a “Rising Star” at the Toronto International Film Festival, she plays the lead in the new Lee Tamahori film, The Convert, an historical drama which will be released at the festival.

As a wahine Māori, Ngatai-Melbourne (Ngāti Porou, Ngai Tūhoe) is proud to play lead character, Rangimai, in The Convert, alongside Australian actor Guy Pearce.

“I feel like she is a representation of some Māori wāhine at a time when Pākehā settlers like Munro [Pearce] were coming to Aotearoa.”

Her list of credits includes roles in Cousins, Whina and in TV series’ Mystic, We Are Still Here, and Kairākau. Ngatai-Melbourne has also directed a short film, E Rangi Rā, that has travelled to international film festivals.

Original article by Eda Tang, Stuff, September 2, 2023.