Now with a prestigious Matariki Award Waipu under their belts, teen thrash metal band Alien Weaponry.
Among Northlanders who were shining lights at the third annual Matariki Awards were a heavy metal band, an actor, a women's rugby super star and a mental health advocate.
The 2018 Māori Television Matariki Awards held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Saturday celebrated outstanding Māori achievement across a
broad range of categories.
Actor Rachel House, who grew up in Whangarei, was joint winner of Te Waipuna-ā-Rangi Award for Entertainment. Her resume is impressive, with wide experience in stage, television and film, including Hollywood productions such as Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok and Disney's smash hit Moana.
House was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Performing Arts in 2017.
She shared Te Waipuna-ā-Rangi Award with Professor Derek Lardelli, who also took the supreme Te Tohu Tikitiki o Matariki Award for his contributions to kapa haka, tā moko artistry, the revival of Māori art and its spiritual significance.
