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Rawiri Paratene

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Rawiri Paratene
CNZM
Paratene in 2013
Born
Peter David Broughton

1953 or 1954 (age 69–70)[1]
Hokianga, New Zealand
OccupationActor
RelativesMarama Davidson (daughter)

Peter David Broughton CNZM, generally known as Rawiri Paratene, is a New Zealand stage and screen actor, director and writer. He is known for his acting roles in Whale Rider (2002) and The Insatiable Moon (2010).

Biography

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Paratene was born at Motukaraka,[2] near Kohukohu, Hokianga, New Zealand, and is of Ngāpuhi descent.[3] He grew up in the south Auckland suburb of Ōtara, and attended Hillary College as David Broughton, the English form of his name.[2] Paratene's parents were Boyd Alex Broughton and Patricia Charlotte Hancy.[4]

Paratene initially struggled with reading and writing at school, but went on to be the first Māori graduate of the New Zealand Drama School.[5] He graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting).[6]

As a young student in the 1970s, Paratene was a member of Ngā Tamatoa, an activist organisation which fought for Māori rights, land, language and culture. Paratene was president of the Wellington chapter, and was one of those who presented the 1972 Te reo Māori petition to parliament.[7] Today, working in the arts, Paratene aspires to have more Māori stories on film.[8]

Career

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Theatre

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Paratene was selected as a Shakespeare's Globe International Actor's Fellow in 2007.[9] Paratene is an actor, director and writer and appeared as Friar Lawrence in the 2009 London Globe Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet.

The New Zealand Festival commissioned Paratene and Murray Lynch to write a play called Blue Smoke that premiered in 2000. It is set in the 1950s and is a musical featuring music from the era.[10] The title of the play is also the title of a famous song Blue Smoke, which was the first record wholly produced in New Zealand and became a hit in the United States.[11]

In 2014, Paratene joined the cast of the London Globe Theatre's two-year world tour of Hamlet, visiting 205 countries. He was the only non-British based actor in the cast.[12]

Paratene's swan song production is Peter Paka Paratene directed by Tainui Tukiwaho, presented in 2021 at Te Pou Theatre in Auckland and the Kia Mau Festival.[13][14][15][16]

Film

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Television

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Paratene's selection as the University of Otago's Burn's Fellow for 1983 was based on his television work as writer, director, and actor. During that year he wrote Erua (1988), which won him the New Zealand Film and Television Award for Best Writer in 1989,[17] and the teleplay/screenplay Dead Certs (1995), for which he received the New Zealand Film and Television Award for Best Actor in 1996.[18]

Selected appearances

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Personal life and politics

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On 18 September 2008, the Green Party announced that Paratene was standing as their candidate for Maungakiekie in the 2008 election.[19]

He is the father of Marama Davidson, who became the Green Party co-leader on 8 April 2018.[20] She became an MP in 2015 when Russel Norman resigned. She had previously stood for the Green Party in the 2013 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election and the 2014 general election.

Honours and awards

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Paratene, after his investiture as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, Dame Cindy Kiro, at Government House, Auckland, on 28 May 2022. At right is Paratene's daughter, Marama Davidson.

References

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  1. ^ Chris Schulz (11 April 2021). "Whale Rider actor Rawiri Paratene: 'I could have died' from strokes". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Battista, Jon (1998). "Paratene, Rawiri". The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature.
  3. ^ "All the world's a stage for Rawiri". Stuff. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Maiden Speech – Green Party MP Marama Davidson". www.scoop.co.nz. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Rawiri Paratene – Biography". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. ^ Tainui Stephens (22 October 2014). "Te reo Māori petition, 1972". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. ^ Matthews, Philip (7 February 2004). "Rawiri Paratene". The Listener. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Rawiri Paratene ONZM (SG IAF 2007) :: Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ". www.sgcnz.org.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Blue Smoke". Playmarket New Zealand. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Blue smoke". NZHistory, New Zealand history online. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Press Release: Rawiri Paratene in the Globe Shakespeare Global Tour". Scoop News. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  13. ^ "PETER PAKA PARATENE". Te Rēhia Theatre. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Kia Mau festival to feature work from Rawiri Paratene". RNZ. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  15. ^ "PETER PAKA PARATENE - Ask Me Anything | Corban Estate Arts Centre". Corban Estate Arts Centre. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  16. ^ Brooks, Sam (21 April 2021). "Rawiri Paratene is a proud paka". The Spinoff. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  17. ^ NZ On Screen. "Erua". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Rawiri Paratene – 1983, Nourishing the Roots, University of Otago, New Zealand". www.otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Rawiri Paratene stands as Green candidate". Green Party. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  20. ^ "Marama Davidson elected new Green Party Co-leader". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. 8 April 2018.
  21. ^ "New Year Honours: the full list of 2022". New Zealand Herald. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  22. ^ "New Year honours list 2013". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
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