Now, as Tumuaki/Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, she is focused on fostering the next wave of performers and creatives, a journey she knows well as an alumna of both Toi Whakaari and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s theatre programme.
Tanea (Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Hineira, Te Uri Taniwha, Ngāpuhi) began her tertiary journey in her late 20s. “I had a child, a mortgage and a good job—we couldn’t afford for me to have a flight of fancy,” she says. “If I was going to go and study, I needed to do well because I was asking my whānau to make the journey with me.” She planned to train as a teacher, studying Māori and Linguistics, until a walk past the drama department changed everything. After an impromptu interview with lecturer Philipp Mann, she was accepted into the theatre programme and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Māori and Theatre Studies, crediting Mann alongside lecturer David Carnegie for opening the door.
Her strongest university memories include Summer Shakespeare in 1995 and classes alongside future stars like Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Surrounded by talent heading to drama school, she eventually auditioned for Toi Whakaari too, not expecting to be accepted. When she was, she had to tell her husband, Mark, she wasn’t going to take the teaching job she’d been offered.
The mid-'90s theatre scene in Wellington was thriving, with Bats Theatre and Downstage in their heyday. Māori theatre company Taki Rua was at the heart of Māori, Pasifika, dance and queer theatre. “I feel very lucky to be part of that scene” she says. “Taki Rua was at the forefront of everything.”
After graduating from Toi Whakaari, playwright Hone Kouka MNZM invited her to become co-director at Taki Rua with him, a role that taught her valuable skills beyond acting and enabled her to become an effective producer and project manager. Those transferable skills shaped a creative career that has spanned leading exhibitions at Te Papa, managing the New Zealand exhibition at the Venice Biennale, running a book fair in Frankfurt, taking artists to Guam, and founding Hāpai Productions with the late Nancy Brunning.
Tanea draws inspiration from those who came before her. “I am indebted to those who laid the path for me. Now, I feel the responsibility for the new generation.” She loves the collaborative nature of her work and the chance to tell Māori stories. “The majority of my practice has been telling our stories, and I’ve been honoured to do that.” While she jokes about wanting to be cast in a blockbuster TV series, her passion lies in sharing narratives of Aotearoa, as seen in her starring roles in the films Cousins, Waru, and No. 2.
Since 2019, she has led Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, serving more than 130 tauira studying acting, design, production, set and props, and costuming. “Our kura is responsible for the new generation of changemakers who lead using the creative arts as their medium. We need to equip them with the skills, experiences and academic knowledge to take them forward into the future,” she says.
“To do that, we’re changing things up at Toi Whakaari, and consciously decolonising our practices and placing a Te Māori lens over everything we do. The impact will be positive, remarkable and far-reaching. Our graduates influence the creative industries here in Aotearoa and across the world—our mahi now will continue to make a difference into the future.”
Tanea is currently starring in TVNZ On Demand’s Dead Ahead, playing a Nanny who continues to influence the present even after she has gone, and will soon appear in Sky New Zealand Originals’ Small-Town Scandal, enjoying the chance to “play a sassy momma” instead of “that Aunty from Cousins.”
Named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022, Tanea will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington this month. She credits her husband Mark and children Joseph, Teina, and Omapere for their generosity of spirit, supporting her throughout it all. Her advice to anyone wanting to embark on a career in the arts is: “Tū whitia te hopo, mairangitia te angitū—You got this!”