Rob Mokaraka is a New Zealand playwright and actor. He affiliates to

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

and

Ngāi Tūhoe Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning 'steep' or 'high noon'. Tūhoe people a ...

. He has been part of the performing group

The Māori Sidesteps The Māori Sidesteps are a New Zealand musical and performance group founded by Jamie McCaskill in 2016, based in Wellington. The band reinterprets the musical tradition of Māori showbands such as The Quin Tikis, The Maori Hi Five, and the Howa ...

. In 2006 he played Taneatua in the

Taki Rua Taki Rua is a theatre organisation based in Wellington, New Zealand that has produced many contemporary Māori people, Māori theatre productions. Taki Rua has been going since 1983 and has had several name changes over that time including The N ...

production of Hone Kouka's '' Nga Tangata Toa'' at

Downstage Theatre Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Colin ...

in Wellington. In 2012 he starred in the televised version of Briar Grace-Smith's play ''Purapurawhetu''. ''Strange Resting Places'' is a stage play co-written with

Paolo Rotondo Paolo Rotondo is a New Zealand director, writer and actor of stage and screen. Biography Rotondo was born in Napoli, Italy, from a Neapolitan father and New Zealand mother of Irish descent. He grew up in Italy and moved to New Zealand when he ...

, produced by Taki Rua Productions and based on family stories of the

Māori Battalion The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion (), was a light infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. The battalion was formed following pressure on the Labour government ...

in Italy in World War II. ''Strange Resting Places'' was performed for over nine years and been published by

Playmarket Playmarket is a not-for-profit organisation providing script advisory services, representation for playwrights in New Zealand and access to New Zealand plays. Playmarket was founded in 1973 to encourage the professional production of New Zealand ...

. It was also the opening feature-length episode of the six-part television series ''Atamira''. It aired on Māori TV on 25 April 2012 at 8.30pm. In July 2009 Mokaraka was struggling with his mental health and attempted " suicide-by-cop", an experience which he survived. He used this as the basis for a play, ''Shot Bro: Confessions of a Depressed Bullet'', which he toured around community venues in Aotearoa New Zealand for three years, 2017–2020. ''Shot Bro'' was in the Tahi Festival in 2019. The documentary ''Shot Bro,'' aired on Māori TV on 7 June 2020, describes his attempts to heal from depression and to help others dealing with depression and loss.

Awards

Mokaraka won the Best Newcomer Chapman Tripp acting award for his 2001 play ''Have Car, Will Travel.'' Mokaraka and Rotondo jointly won the Peter Harcourt Award for Outstanding New Playwright of the Year at the

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards. Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, t ...

in 2007, for ''Strange Resting Places''.

References

New Zealand male Māori actors New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights Ngāpuhi people Ngāi Tūhoe people Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Authority control