Mita Merata is the first Maori woman to direct a feature film, Mauri (1988). Her 1984 documentary Patu! was New Zealand's most controversial film. Merata was born into the Ngati Pikiao tribe. One of nine children, she was raised in the traditional Maori way; in school she began studying as a home science teacher, but soon changed to filmmaking after she was asked to be a consultant on Maori culture...
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