Lee Tamahori on location while filming "The Convert" in 2022. Photo: Supplied / Kirsty Griffin
One of the biggest names in New Zealand film-making has died.
Lee Tamahori from Ngāti Porou, made his directorial film debut with the ground-breaking Once Were Warriors.
Born in Tawa, in Wellington he started Flying Fish, one of the country's most successful advertising production companies.
His first short film, Thunderbox, was developed during the Te Manuka series with Don Selwyn and Larry Parr.
He went on to forge a remarkable international career, directing Hollywood and independent films such as Mulholland Falls, The Devil's Double, and the James Bond film Die Another Day.
Lee Tamahori with Nancy Brunning on the set of "Mahana". Photo: supplied
In a statement his family said Tamahori died peacefully at home surrounded by his long-time love Justine, his beloved children Sam, Max, Meka, and Tané, his daughter-in-laws Casey (who is expecting) and Meri, his darling mokopuna Cora Lee, and whānau.
"His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart. A charismatic leader and fierce creative spirit, Lee championed Māori talent both on and off screen.
"He ultimately returned home to tell stories grounded in whakapapa and identity, with Mahana and his latest film The Convert, reaffirming his deep connection to Aotearoa. We've lost an immense creative spirit.
Moe mai rā e te rangatira.
Haere rā e hika koutou ko ō mātua,
Unuhia i te rito o te harakeke,
Ka tū i te aroākapa,
Aku nui, aku rahi e,
Aku whakatamarahi ki te rangi.
Waiho te iwi e,
Māna e māe noa.
Farewell, beloved Lee, go to your elders,
Plucked from the heart of the flax bush.
You stand now before the ranks of ancestors
My great ones, my esteemed,
My towering figures who reach to the heavens.
Leave us, your people,
To bear the ache of your absence."
Friends and colleagues are invited to pay their respects on Sunday, 9 November, at Te Mahurehure Marae, in Point Chevalier in Auckland.
More to come...
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