Ahead of the highly anticipated Moana 2 reo Māori, its director, Tweedie Waititi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Rongowhakaata), has won a prestigious reo Māori award.
Te Waka Toi Awards has announced that Waititi has received Te Tohu Aroha mō Ngoi Kumeroa Pewhairangi – supported by Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori award for strengthening Te Reo Rangatira.
Her CV is long, with her most recent work being involved with Disney reo Māori movies, with her latest, Moana 2 reo Māori to release this week.
Other credits include:
- She translated William Shakespeare’s play, Troilus and Cressida;
- She translated Don McGlashan’s classic waiata, Bathe in the Water performed by Hollie Smith for the Waiata Anthems compilation;
- She produced Moana reo Māori (2017), the first of several reo Māori movies including translating the subtitles for her brother Taika Waititi film Thor: Ragnarok into Māori;
- She directed and produced the Lion King reo Māori (2022);
- She co-directed and produced Frozen reo Māori (2022;
- She directed, produced, and performed as Tìa Victoria for Coco reo Māori (2023); and
- She directed. produced, and performed as Señora Guzmán for Encanto reo Māori (2024).
“When I went into the whare of Disney I wanted to turn over every stone there was in the whare,” she said.
“I had some milestones along the way ... a lot of history points along the way and we’re here to prove that it can be done,” Waititi said.
Her work on reshaping classic Disney films has also seen her integrate iwi-specific reo for different movie adaptations, with Tai Rāwhiti reo for Moana and Coco, and Kāi Tahu reo for Frozen.
“If we lose our reo now, then it’s definitely our fault because we’ve had so many great people carving pathways for us and it’s up to us now,” Waititi said.
Creative NZ’s website citation said Waititi’s dedication had provided Māori whānau and tamariki with te reo Māori resources, “allowing them to see and hear their language on the big screen. This work is an invaluable legacy for today and for the future of te reo Māori”.