O U R T E A M
Kimiora Kaire-Melbourne
Director/Producer
Company founder, Kimiora Kaire-Melbourne (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a young Māori director who is passionate about promoting Māori stories from a distinctly Māori worldview. Having te reo Māori as her first language and being raised in Ruatoki has grounded her in Te Ao Māori and ultimately given her confidence in who she is and where she is from.
She has 10 years of experience in the New Zealand television industry working for various networks and companies as a news and current affairs journalist, director, translator, presenter and producer.
In 2019 she graduated with a Masters in Indigenous Studies at The University of Waikato with a focus on Māori Broadcasting. Under supervisor Professor Rangi Matamua, her research looked at ways to better integrate Māori practices and ideologies into the broadcasting spaces producing Māori content. This showed her passion for Māori storytelling and her commitment to ensuring cultural integrity is maintained on and off-screen.
Towards the end of 2019, she established Te Imurangi Media Ltd as a way of implementing Te Mata Ono Broadcasting Model and gaining independence as a storyteller. Since then, Te Imurangi has produced a number of shows including the award winning series “Homesteads” which has recently been funded for a second season.
Te Aorere Pewhairangi
Our Pou Tiaki Reo (Māori Language advisor) Te Aorere Pewhairangi is of Ngāti Porou descent and was raised by parents who were dedicated to ensuring their children were fully immersed in te reo Māori and Te Ao Māori. Te Aorere is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te reo and also completed his masters in Māori Broadcasting at Waikato University.
He is known in the media industry for his expertise as a cultural advisor, but more recently has gained recognition for his work in the online social media space. Over the years, Te Aorere has tried his hand at many things from presenting and reporting to sports commentating. But every project he aligns himself with is part of his overarching goal to promote the Māori culture and language in as many places and spaces as possible.