Sir Ian Mune, of Kumeu, KNZM, for services to film, television and theatre
Sir Ian Mune is an award-winning actor, writer and director for stage and screen, who has been a pioneer in these professions in New Zealand and has focused on telling the stories of New Zealanders in an authentic voice since the 1970s. Sir Ian was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 for his services to the theatre and film industry, having worked on developing these industries as a viable profession in New Zealand. His notable earlier film productions include co-writing seminal classics ‘Sleeping Dogs’ (1977) and ‘Goodbye Pork Pie’ (1981) and directing ‘Came a Hot Friday’ (1984). Since 1991, he has continued contributing to these industries. He directed ‘Once Were Warriors’ award-winning sequel ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted’ (1999), the coming-of-age drama ‘End of the Golden Weather’ (1991) and ‘The Whole of the Moon’ (1997). He directed the 2008 depression-era telefeature film ‘Life’s a Riot’ and the 2011 documentary on the life of New Zealand comedian Billy T James “Billy T: Te Movie”. As an actor with more than 70 screen roles to date, he has continued to perform in a variety of film, television and theatre productions, most recently in the miniseries ‘The Pact’ (2021). Sir Ian has remained connected with new generations of actors as Patron of The Actors Program since 2012.