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Decades of dedication to film, television and culture
Lawrence Wharerau brings decades of experience to Aotearoa’s screen industry, with a career spanning journalism, acting, cultural consultancy, and film archiving. A founding member of the Māori Department at Television New Zealand in the mid-1980s, he began as a researcher and reporter before building a parallel profile in front of the camera across television and film.
Active since the 1980s, Lawrence has brought quiet authority and emotional depth to numerous roles in television, short films, and features. Fluent in both English and Te Reo Māori, he is equally at home on screen and behind the microphone. His resonant vocal tone and bilingual fluency have made him a sought-after voice artist for narration, cultural content, and documentary storytelling.
By the late 1990s, Lawrence turned his focus to archival work, specialising in Māori content and presenting programmes both nationally and internationally. His deep knowledge and passion for Indigenous storytelling have established him as a respected cultural and script advisor across a range of screen productions.
In 2020, he starred as Matiu in The Old Man Next Door, a short film that won Best Indigenous Film at the Oz Indie Film Festival and received the Humanitarian Award from the Accolade Global Film Competition. In 2024, his performance as Dad in KŌKAKO earned him the Best Supporting Actor (Male) award from the Top of the South Film Festival, affirming his standing as a powerful character actor.
Beyond performance, Lawrence has contributed to the sector as a funding assessor for Te Māngai Pāho, Whakaata Māori, TVNZ, NZ On Air, and the New Zealand Film Commission.
Though now working predominantly behind the lens, he continues to make guest appearances in select projects. Based in Ōkaihau, nestled between the Hokianga Harbour and the Bay of Islands, Lawrence remains a quiet force in the ongoing evolution of Māori screen storytelling.
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