Te Kohe Tuhaka, of Ngati Porou and Ngai Tuhoe descent, plays Wirepa 'The Fighter' in Toa Fraser's The Dead Lands.
The Maori action epic premieres in Manukau tonight and opens in cinemas across New Zealand on October 30.
Tuhaka has previously starred in Shortland Street, Sione's 2: Unfinished Business, Taika Waititi's acclaimed short Tama Tu and Longing for New Zealand.
"For me personally, because I grew up in the world of kapahaka, mau rakau, even in te reo, it excited me even more - because we've never seen it, we've never seen Maori martial arts in an action film," says Tuhaka of The Dead Lands.
"When you see it on screen, it begs the question: 'Why haven't we seen it before?' But hey, this is the beginning, and I look forward to seeing more of it."
The Dead Lands had its world premiere in Toronto earlier this year.
Watch my full, uncut interview with Tuhaka.
3 News
source: newshub archive
