.avif){kind=logo}
Kay Ellmers Pōwhiri
Monday, July 15, 2024
Hei whakapuakitanga ake iaianei tonu.
Ka nui te tūrangahakoa o Ngā Aho Whakaari i te whakatau a Kay Ellmers kia noho mai ia hei Tumu Whakarae hou ki Ngā Aho Whakaari. E ai ki te Ihorei o Ngā Aho Whakaari a Piripi Curtis, “E hūrō ana te ngākau, e ihiihi ana te whatumanawa i tō mātou whakawhiwhinga ki tēnei ringa rehe ki ngā kaupapa whitiāhua Māori. Kua roa a Kay e kōkiri kaupapa ana hei whakakite i te ao Māori mā te mahi whitiāhua, me te aha, kua roa hoki a Kay e whakarite rautaki ana, e whakahaere mahi ana ki te rāngai pāpāoho Māori. Nō reira, nō mātou rawa te waimaria, kua āmine mai ia ki tēnei tūranga mahi o Ngā Aho Whakaari”.
Arā noa atu ngā mahi a Kay ki roto i te ao whitiāhua me te ao pāpāoho. Ko Kay te Tumu Whakarae o te pakihi mahi kiriata o Tūmanako Productions. Ko ia hoki te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o ngā pakipūmeka rongonui pērā me “Moko the World” me te hōtaka o “Whānau”. Ko Kay hoki te Kaihautū o Te Puna Kairangi ki Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga atu i te tau 2021 ki te tau 2022. Ko ia hoki te Kaiwhakahaere Kohi Kaupapa ki Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa atu i te tau 2018 ki te tau 2020.
Ko te kupu tauākī ā Piripi Curtis e kī ana, “He mea nui te whakawahitanga ake i a Kay Ellmers hei Tumu ki Ngā Aho Whakaari. He tohu hoki ki te ao Māori e mea ana arā noa atu ngā mahi ka oti i a Ngā Aho Whakaari hei taunaki ake i te iwi Māori ki roto i te ao whitiāhua me te ao pāpāoho. Me whakamana, me whakatika, me whakanui ka tika!”
He wahine whiwhi tohu hoki a Kay, pērā me te tohu Mana Wahine o WIFT (Ngā Wāhine ki te Ao Whitiāhua, Pouaka Whakaata Hoki) i āna mahi ki te ao pāpāoho Māori, me te tohu Pāpāoho Māori ki Ngā Tohu Reo Māori o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. “Nōku te whiwhi i whai au i ngā tapuwae o Lanita atu i te huarahi i para te tini noa atu i mua i a māua, nā te kī a te poari hoki, māku te waka o Ngā Aho Whakaari e ārahi. E hīkaka ana te ngākau kia mahinga tahi me ngā ringa rehe. Tātou e whakapau kaha ana ki te whakatairanga, ki te whakarangatira hoki i tō tātou ao Māori mā runga i te ao pāpāho, te ao hanga kiriata hoki.”
E rere ana hoki ngā whamānawa ki a Lanita Ririnui, te Tumu o mua o Ngā Aho Whakaari, i hāpai ake i ngā mahi hei Tumu ki roto i ngā tau e toru kua pahure tata ake nei. “Mei kore ake a Lanita, kua raru katoa a Ngā Aho Whakaari i ngā tau nei. He tāiki ngāpara, he ihu oneone, he ringa mamahi pau te kaha a Lanita. E kore e oti ngā kupu whakamihi ki a ia”, te kī a Piripi Curtis.
Ko Ngā Aho Whakaari te kāhui e taimua ana i te rangatiratanga o ngā tāngata Māori e kōkiri kaupapa ana ki te ao whitiāhua, me te ao pāpāoho. Ko te tūruapō o Ngā Aho Whakaari e kī ana “Ko wai hei rangatira mō tātou? Ko wai? Ko wai? Ko tātou anō!”
Hei te 15 o ngā rā o Hūrae ka tū te pōwhiri ki a Kay, ki te marae o Te Māhurehure, ki Rangimatarau, Tāmaki Makaurau. Hei te 9:30 o ngā hāora o taua rā, ka rere te karanga. Kei tēnei pae tukutuku te roanga ake o ngā kōrero e pā ana ki a Ngā Aho Whakaari: https://www.ngaahowhakaari.org/
Me whakapā atu ki a admin@ngaahowhakaari.org hei whirinakitanga i te kupu i te kōrero.
For Immediate release
Ngā Aho Whakaari is delighted to announce the appointment of Kay Ellmers (Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Raukawa) to the role of its Executive Director. Piripi Curtis, the Chair of Ngā Aho Whakaari, says “I am extremely happy and proud of the appointment of such an expert Māori practitioner to this role. Kay has a wealth of experience in the Māori screen industry and held key leadership roles in Māori media. We are very fortunate to have Kay accept the position with Ngā Aho Whakaari.”
Kay is an acknowledged leader in the screen and media industry and is the Managing Director of Tūmanako Productions. She is an award-winning documentary maker and has recently worked on acclaimed projects such as "Whānau' and 'Moko the World". She was also the joint head of Te Puna Kairangi fund at the New Zealand Film Commission from 2021 to 2022. Kay was also the Senior Commissioner at RNZ from 2018 to 2020.
Piripi Curtis says “The appointment of Kay Ellmers to the role of Executive Director at Ngā Aho Whakaari is incredibly important. It shows the Māori screen and media industry that we are committed to supporting Māori who work in these industries. This appointment confirms our strategic approach, to empower Māori in screen, to advocate for Māori in screen, and to celebrate Māori in screen.”
Kay is an award-winning practitioner, as well as being awarded the Tohu Mana Wahine at the Women in Film and Television Awards for her contributions to Māori broadcasting, and the Māori Broadcasting Award at the Māori Language Commission’s Māori Language Awards.
“I’m very fortunate to be following in the footsteps of Lanita and all those who forged this path before us. I’m honoured that the Board has entrusted me to lead this next chapter for Ngā Aho Whakaari. I look forward to working with them and our talented, creative and committed industry colleagues to advance our kaupapa of uplifting, amplifying and celebrating Māori storytelling on screen”, says Ellmers.
Ngā Aho Whakaari also wishes to acknowledge the amazing contribution made by Lanita Ririnui, the former Executive Director of the organisation, for the last three years. “Without Lanita, Ngā Aho Whakaari would be in a parlous state. Lanita has been hard-working, innovative, and absolutely committed to our organisation. Words cannot express our thanks for all that Lanita has done”, says Curtis.
Ngā Aho Whakaari exists to actively support the global screen industries by uplifting tangata whenua and Indigenous creatives through advocacy for our unique perspectives, narratives, and artistic expressions.
On July 15, 2024, the formal welcome to Kay will be undertaken at Te Māhurehure Marae, in Point Chevalier, Auckland. The welcome will commence at 9:30 am.
For further information regarding Ngā Aho Whakaari please go to our website:
For further information and media enquiries please contact the following email address or phone number: admin@ngaahowhakaari.org or 021 932 999.
ENDS.
Ngā Aho Whakaari Nominees – AGM Nov 2025
When nominations were first published there were five candidates. Subsequently one candidate has withdrawn. Therefore there are now four candidates.
Rongotai Lomas is a multidisciplinary Māori artist and filmmaker whose work bridges traditional storytelling and contemporary creative technologies. Having directed and edited music videos for artists such as Che-Fu, House of Shem, Dam Native, and Upper Hutt Posse, and worked alongside leading filmmakers including Merata Mita, Geoff Murphy, and Heather Rae, Rongotai brings a deep understanding of both the artistic and cultural dimensions of screen storytelling. Holding a Master of Visual Arts, his practice, under Whare Te Ao – The House of Light, fuses fine arts, Māori culture, film, and digital innovation to create works that celebrate Māori identity and ignite new forms of creative expression.
If elected to the board of Ngā Aho Whakaari, Rongotai aims to contribute his experience in filmmaking, transmedia storytelling, and creative entrepreneurship to help advance opportunities for Māori storytellers in the screen sector. His vision is to support the next generation of Māori artists by fostering authentic representation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the integration of emerging technologies such as AI and animation into Māori storytelling traditions.
I am a proud Māori filmmaker, director–producer, and storyteller with more than two decades of experience leading large-scale productions across Aotearoa and the world. My work spans television, documentary, and digital storytelling — from local kaupapa-driven series to global franchises — and I have collaborated with every major production company in New Zealand, as well as international partners in the UK, UAE, and the United States.
As both a creative and an executive leader, I have navigated the complexities of cultural representation within mainstream and global markets. My experience has sharpened my understanding of the systemic gaps and cultural safeguards needed to better uphold mana Māori within the screen industry. I bring strong governance sensibilities, strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to ensuring Māori voices are authentically represented and protected at every level of production — from concept to distribution.
Standing for election to the board of Ngā Aho Whakaari is an opportunity for me to contribute to the kaupapa by championing Māori creative autonomy, equitable pathways for emerging practitioners, and robust cultural frameworks that future-proof our stories and practitioners.
Mai i te moana ki te rangi, ki te wheiao, ki te ao marama. Tihei Mauri Ora!
Ngā Aho Whakaari brings together a mix of passionate, talented, and occasionally chaotic Māori creatives — all driven by a shared belief in the power of our stories. The legacy of our hapori is why I return.
Having served as both a Board Member and Executive Director, I understand the rhythm and reality of this kaupapa — the need for strong governance, fresh ideas, and plenty of good humour to keep things moving. I’m standing to help strengthen our representation across the wider screen industry, support emerging practitioners, and champion innovation that leads to economic and cultural impact.
Working independently through Table 1 Ltd, we have been advancing Te Kāpehu Auaha — a creative philosophy that applies Māori values to collaboration, innovation, and industry change. As a Film Bay of Plenty Board member and contributor to commissioning at RNZ and Whakaata Māori, I’m focused on strengthening Indigenous-led storytelling and connecting our hapori to new creative and global opportunities.
I’m keen to contribute where it counts: connecting strategy to action, creativity to sustainability, and ensuring Māori continue to set the tone — not just in the industry, but in how we imagine what’s next.
I am a freelance editor, field director, and a fluent speaker of te reo Māori, with more than 25 years of experience in the television industry. Over the course of my career, I have built extensive expertise across documentary, reality, children’s, and magazine-style genres. My editing credits include Police Ten 7 (TVNZ), Moving Out with Kanoa (Three), and numerous productions for Whakaata Māori. Recent projects include Ariki (Season 4) and Hīkina Te Manuka.
I currently serve as Vice President of the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ), where I have been an active board member for the past four years, including the last two in the Vice President role. My motivation for joining the Ngā Aho Whakaari Board is to ensure that the post-production sector is well represented, and to advocate for the unique perspectives, challenges, and contributions of those working within this area of our industry.
Beyond my screen work, I am deeply involved in kapa haka. Since 2005, I have served as stage manager for the Tāmaki Primary Schools Regionals, the Secondary Schools Māori Stage at ASB Polyfest, and the Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga competitions. I am also currently Co-Event Manager for the Tāmaki Makaurau Senior Kapa Haka Society.