Rebel Boys: Stories for those who dare to be different

Taika Waetit set out to celebrate "Maori nerds or Maori dorks".

In the drive to bust stereotypes on the screen and in literature comes a new book, Stories for Boys Who Dare To Be Different - a compilation of 100 stories of famous and remarkable but not-so-famous men from the past to the present, every one a rule-breaker and innovator.

It's a rich and eclectic catalogue of entries from all walks of life and from around the world, including New Zealand film-maker Taika Waititi, singer-songwriter Frank Ocean, artist Salvador Dali, French poet Rimbaud, composer Beethoven, former US President Barack Obama, contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and 1936 US Olympic gold medal winner, Jesse Owens.

Just ahead of its publication date, Weekend features the entry of the singular creative hero from Aotearoa: Taika Waititi.

TAIKA WAITITI

(born 1975)

Taika always loved comic books and superheroes, but he never saw people like himself in them.

His father is Maori, which is the name given to the first people who lived on the islands of New Zealand. The Maori people have their own rich culture, language and beliefs. They practise arts like carving, dancing, singing and facial tattoos, and believe that we are all descended from two original gods, the Sky Father and the Earth Mother.

Despite their culture and history, Taika always felt like they were never properly represented in films and TV. Whenever Maori characters appeared, they had to be tough guys or warriors, and they were never funny, and they never felt real.

"We never embraced the buffoons in our culture," Taika said.

"Maori nerds or Maori dorks."

So that's what he set out to do.

Taika wrote and directed a film about a young Maori boy who adores Michael Jackson, misses his dad and spends a lot of time talking to his pet goat. Then he directed another film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, about a Maori boy who loves hip-hop and ends up on the run from the police, in the forest, with a grumpy old man.

Both films were hilarious and heartbreaking, and they caught the attention of people all over the world. Because of them, Taika was asked to direct a big Hollywood superhero movie called Thor, about the god of thunder and his quest to stop the destruction of civilisation. Taika has shown the world another side to Maori people and he's been able to create his own comic-book universe too.

Text by Ben Brooks