Thirty years after waging a hard-fought battle to wrest control of their own stories from state television, the trailblazing architects of Te Manu Aute have taken a permanent place on the national stage.
Descendants, whānau, and industry leaders gathered at Whakaata Māori for a poignant kawe mate ceremony on Wednesday, enshrining the portraits of 12 founding members of the historic filmmaking collective ahead of a special milestone celebration bringing together veteran practitioners and emerging content creators.
The gathering drew key figures from across Aotearoa’s creative sector—including Liam Barclay, grandson of pioneering filmmaker Barry Barclay, alongside whānaunga Grant Huwyler, Te Kakenga Kawiti-Bishara, and veteran practitioner Whetu Fala—to pay tribute to a movement that laid the foundational blueprint for modern indigenous screen sovereignty, editorial independence, and narrative control.
Honouring foundational legacies
Among the 12 portraits brought into Whakaata Māori was kuia Anne Keating, who passed away two months ago. Keating was a dedicated advocate for regional storytellers, working to ensure communities outside main metropolitan centres were represented with authenticity and pride.
Reflecting on Keating’s legacy, Te Kakenga Kawiti-Bishara noted: “Tētahi kuia i mate rua marama ki muri arā ko Anne Keating tēnā, nōnā te huarahi i para mō te hunga pēnei i a mātou o te kāinga, ki te kawe i ngā kōrero, ki te whakaatu atu ki te ao te ataahuatanga o te ao Māori, heoi anō o Te Tai Hauāuru.”
The ceremony also honoured visionary filmmaker Barry Barclay, who in 1987 directed Ngāti, the first feature film written and directed by a Māori person. His contribution laid the foundational framework for modern indigenous cinema.
His mokopuna, Liam Barclay, highlighted that while his grandfather’s industry achievements are celebrated internationally, his greatest work was grounding his family back in their ancestral lands: “Kei te kōreronuitia āna mahi i te rangi nei....engari... ko te mahi nui whakaharaharatia i oti rā i a ia, ko tana whakahoki mai i ahau ki te wā kainga... ko ahau kei te rongo i ngā reka o ngā hua.”
Reflecting on Barclay’s intellectual authority and creative leadership during the 1980s screen renaissance, his whānaunga Grant Huwyler added: “Ka miharo au ki tōna mahi hei kaiārahi, he mātanga i roto i ōna whakaaro mō te mahi nei o te kiriata.”
The fight for Tino Rangatiratanga
Formed in the mid-1980s by leaders including Barry Barclay, Merata Mita, Don Selwyn, Tungia Baker, and Keri Kaa, Te Manu Aute emerged at a critical turning point when Māori were predominantly framed through a Pākehā lens on state television and held virtually no leadership roles behind the camera.
Operating on the principle that indigenous people hold a fundamental right to express their own values, stories, and needs, the collective organised national hui at Tūrangawaewae Marae and Wellington Polytechnic, lobbying state institutions including Television New Zealand and the New Zealand Film Commission.
That political lobbying led directly to major industry milestones, including the 1989 release of E Tipu, E Rea, the first Māori-conceived and produced drama series on national television, and established the argument for dedicated Māori broadcasting frequencies.
Industry veteran Whetu Fala emphasised that the movement’s ultimate objective was securing complete cultural sovereignty and authority over Māori intellectual property: “Te hua pai rawa atu hei whai tino rangatiratanga mā māori, mō tātou katoa, koirā te mea, mana motuhake, tino rangatiratanga kei waenganui i te ao kiriata.”
A 30-year legacy
The gathering precedes a special milestone event celebrating 30 years since the formal movement took flight, bringing together veteran practitioners alongside emerging content creators.
The structural groundwork laid by Te Manu Aute served as the direct precursor to Ngā Aho Whakaari, the national guild for Māori screen producers, directors, and writers established in 1996, as well as funding agency Te Māngai Pāho, iwi radio networks, and national broadcaster Whakaata Māori itself.
