Patricia Rongomaitara "Ramai" Hayward (née Te Miha, 11 November 1916 – 3 July 2014) was a New Zealand photographer, actor, and filmmaker who made films in five countries. Her film career began in 1940 when she co-starred in the historical movie ''

Rewi's Last Stand ''Rewi's Last Stand'' is the title of two feature films written and directed by pioneering New Zealand filmmaker Rudall Hayward: a 1925 silent movie, and a 1940 remake with sound. They are historical dramas, based on the last stand of Rewi Mania ...

'', after meeting her future husband, legendary New Zealand director

Rudall Hayward Rudall Charles Victor Hayward (4 July 1900 – 29 May 1974) was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. Biography Hayward was born in Wolverhampton, England, and died i ...

. The first

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, she spent three years making films in England with Rudall. Later the couple were the first to make English language films in China after the

communist revolution A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism. Depending on the type of government, the term socialism can be used to indicate an intermediate stage between ...

Early life and family

Hayward was born in the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

town of

Martinborough Martinborough ( or ) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of The town is home ...

in 1916, the daughter of Roihi Te Miha and Fred Mawhiney, a motor mechanic. She affiliated to the

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...

and

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribes). Her father served in the New Zealand Machine Gun Corps and died of wounds in Belgium in 1917. In 1917 her mother married Jim Miller, and Hayward was subsequently known as Patricia Miller for a period. Ramai was raised by her grandmother and great-grandfather, Huria Te Miha and Hemi Te Miha, in Pirinoa,

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

until Huria passed away in 1920. Afterwards, she relocated to

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

where her mother and step-father lived.

Career

Ramai trained in stills photography when she became an apprentice to French photographer Henri Harrison in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. In 1937 or 1938 she set up her own photography studio, Patricia Miller Studio, in

Devonport, Auckland Devonport ( ) is a harbourside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the North Shore, at the southern end of the Devonport Peninsula that runs southeast from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, forming the northern side of the Waitemat ...

, and by 1946 she had eight employees and had opened a second studio in Queen Street. In the late 30s she met director Rudall Hayward, after he cast her as the romantic lead in a remake of his 1925 silent movie ''

''. Both films were inspired by conflicts during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

. In 1946 the couple, now married, traveled to England, where they spent around three years. Ramai learnt to operate the sound camera that Rudall had developed back in New Zealand. She was one of the few women working professionally as a

in the United Kingdom in this period. The couple also made films in Australia, Albania, and China. In the 1950s, based again in New Zealand but marketing their films around the world, they began two decades of making scenic films, a series of educational films, and a short film on Opo the dolphin. Ramai's contribution ranged across shooting, scripting, editing, and co-directing, but as Rudall got older, Ramai took on increasing responsibilities. Some say she was the primary force on their final feature film, 1972's '' To Love a Maori'', which was the first local dramatic feature shot in colour. Rudall died in 1974. In her later years, Ramai continued to take occasional acting roles. She was also active in advocating land rights pertaining to her iwi of Ngāti Kahungunu around Pirinoa. In the early 1990s, Hayward reportedly refused a damehood after taking part in years of protests, over Government plans to sell

Cape Palliser Lighthouse Cape Palliser Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Cape Palliser in the Wellington region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. The light was built in 1897 and was originally fueled by oil. In 1954 t ...

and surrounding lands to overseas buyers. She died in July 2014.

Honours

In the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to c ...

, Hayward was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to film and television.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayward, Ramai 1916 births 2014 deaths 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses People from Martinborough Ngāi Tahu people Ngāti Kahungunu people New Zealand Māori actresses Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand film directors Indigenous filmmakers in New Zealand New Zealand photographers New Zealand women film directors