Lawrence Wharerau

(Ngāpuhi)

Lawrence has had a long association with television and film.

He began as a researcher reporter in television last century and is a founding member of the Māori Department of TVNZ in the mid-1980s.

At the same time, Wharerau pursued a profile in front of the camera in television productions as well as short and feature film projects.

By the mid-late 1990s, he turned his interest toward archival films focusing on Māori content at The Film Archive, presenting archival screening programmes throughout the country and overseas.

He has sat as a funding assessor on panels for Te Mānga Pāho, Whakaata Māori, Television New Zealand, the Film Commission and NZ On Air.

Lawrence’s career in film has seen him shift more behind the lens as a cultural and script advisor, though he still does make guest appearances on various projects from time to time.

This is his third year on the judging panel for The Top of the South Film Festival.

Wharerau lives in the sleepy Northland hollow, Ōkaihau, between The Hokianga Harbour and The Bay of Islands.