The late Assistant Professor Merata Mita, of Whitianga
Received by Professor Mita's son, Rafer Rautjoki. The late Professor Merata Mita received the Insignia of a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the film industry. Assistant Professor Mita was involved in filmmaking and video production for more than 25 years and was at the forefront of showcasing Māori culture nationally and internationally. In 1988 she was the first New Zealand woman to write and direct a dramatic feature film entitled, Mauri, which won a prize at Italy’s Rimini Film Festival. She also produced Mana Waka, Dread, and Hotere, and broke new ground as the first Māori woman to direct a feature-length documentary, Patu!, that recorded the clashes between protestors and police during the 1981 Springbok Tour. She directed and co-directed films about the trade union movement and the Hokianga Catholic Māori community, and has reported and presented for the Māori news show Koha. In 2003, she was honoured with a retrospective of her work at the First Peoples Festival in Quebec and in 2005, the First Nations First Feature Program featured Mauri at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2009 Professor Mita received a Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Award.