Merata Mita

Name
Merata Mita
Iwi/Ethnicity
Ngāti Pikiao/Māori
Ngāi Te Rangi/Māori
Date of birth
19 Jun 1942
Place of birth
Maketu/Bay of Plenty (region)/New Zealand
Date of death
31 May 2010
Place of death
Newmarket/Auckland (region)/New Zealand
Gender
Female
Biography
Merata Mita was born in Maketu in the Bay of Plenty. By her death in 2010, she was a widely respected director and producer, known for spearheading the growth in indigenous film-making.

Mita’s reputation was cemented with the release of *Patu!* (1983), a documentary about the 1981 Springbok rugby tour. Her other films include *The Hammer and the Anvil* (1980), *Bastion Point: Day 507* (1980), and *The Bridge* (1982). *Mauri* was released in 1988, the first feature film produced and directed by a Māori woman.

In 1990, Mita and her family relocated to Hawai‘i. She continued to direct films, also working as producer and mentor to young film-makers, including on the first Fijian feature, *The Land has Eyes* (2004), and on Taika Waititi’s *Boy* (2010).