Battle of O-Rākau descendants, whānau and guests walked from Old St John's Church to Te Awamutu's Regent Theatre for a special preview screening of Ka Whawhai Tonu. Photo / Dean Taylor
Battle of O-Rākau descendants, whānau and guests walked from Old St John's Church to Te Awamutu's Regent Theatre for a special preview screening of Ka Whawhai Tonu. Photo / Dean Taylor
Temuera Morrison says the strong faces of 19th-century Māori leaders inspired his performance in the historic new film Ka Whawhai Tonu.
“Their eyes look so much deeper. They could connect to the cosmos a lot better than we can today … They knew about warfare, they knew how to run a tribe, an iwi, how to build a house, how to grow food … none of the things that I can do today. Sometimes a bit of acting comes in handy.”
Ka Whawhai Tonu (Struggle Without End) tells the story of the 1864 battle of O-Rākau from the perspective of Māori survivors.
It was released in cinemas on Matariki weekend - although it had already been extensively screened in the Waikato before the public opening.
Ka Whawhai Tonu premiered at Event Cinemas, Chartwell, Hamilton, on June 17 - the largest premiere screening in the region, with more than 1200 guests.
It was a celebration for the region in which the film was both shot and set.
Directed by Michael Jonathan (Tainui, Mātaatua, Te Arawa) and set in 1864, Ka Whawhai Tonu tells the story of the pivotal Battle of O-Rākau during the New Zealand Wars in the Waikato region.
A battle fought with impossible odds between Māori and the colonial forces, the conflict is told through the eyes of two young teenagers forced to take control of their own destiny amidst the chaos of the battle.
“It is what we were always going to do - bring the story to the people.”
Jonathan explained how he was inspired to bring our stories to the people through film as a 9-year-old growing up in Taumaranui and seeing Utu for the first time.
“That was 41 years ago and it blew my mind.
“Ka Whawhai Tonu is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Battle scene from Ka Whawhai Tonu.
Curtis said the screening in Te Awamutu was one of the most significant.
“This theatre is closest to the site of the battle so here is the home of the story we are telling,” he said.
“The theatre was also the home for Ramai and Rudall Hayward, who made Rewi’s Last Stand and where they would watch their rushes, so we are closing the loop.”
The special screenings in Te Awamutu continued into opening weekend, with a package deal available Saturday in conjunction with He Tauawhi ki te Koniahi - Digital Storytelling.
The project shares stories from the marae - five-minute films that capture local history as told by local storytellers.
To date 120 stories have been captured - the Te Awamutu screening shared six local stories at a free screening, which also included a kōrero from the filmmakers, plus a promotional code to view Ka Whawhai Tonu at a special price.
Regent manager Paige Larianova said Sunday also proved a huge day for staff, with almost 800 admissions, mostly due to the two new films, Ka Whawhai Tonu and Despicable Me 4.
She said as well as a number of whānau attendees, high school groups are making up a significant number of the admissions.
Larianova added that they are also receiving repeat bookings.
Ka Whawhai Tonu poster.
From his early days on Kiwi television and local films such as Once Were Warriors, Morrison has become a familiar face in international blockbusters like Star Wars and Aquaman.
It was while he was on a break from filming Jason Momoa’s upcoming historical drama Chief of War that he headed to Rotorua to shoot Ka Whawhai Tonu.
Although being part of the film was a “beautiful experience”, Morrison says he doesn’t really enjoy taking acting gigs in his hometown of Rotorua.
“We have a number of Māori actors here that are very good and sometimes I feel a little guilty that I’m taking one of my brothers’ jobs … But there was no one else, really, because I whakapapa to Ngāti Maniapoto as well.”
Playing the role of Ngāti Maniapoto chief Rewi Maniapoto was a way for Morrison to honour not only his ancestors but also the film’s director, his “very, very close friend” Michael Jonathan, a former cameraman and director of photography who was one of the early supporters of Morrison’s Hollywood acting dreams.
On set Morrison was reunited with fellow Māori actors he’d started out with and also fed off emotional performances by some “cuzzie bros” who hadn’t been on camera before.
“The woman who said the final quote [in the film], she was just so powerful. There was pain in her voice … the mana we call it, was coming through her voice. She had spirit, wairua. Man, that soon woke me up to the fact that our tupuna passed away [in this battle], a lot of our people passed away.
“These people were powerful people back in the 1860s. They still had mana. When they spoke, everyone listened.
“The tears were flowing, and the pain in the voices from some of the other performers really ignited my performance energies, in a way.
Cliff Curtis as Wi Toka and Te Wakaunua Te Kurapa as Te Whenuanui in Ka Whawhai Tonu.
“Powerful, powerful feelings, a warm feeling, a camaraderie. And everyone’s in the same waka .... of ‘let’s do the best we can and make a good film for our brother [Michael Jonathan]’.”
Dean Taylor is a community journalist with more than 35 years of experience and is editor of the Te Awamutu Courier and Waikato Herald.
