Keeti Ngatai-Melbourne

Keeti aims to facilitate ‘E Tipu, E Rea’, a three-day film workshop, to teach rangatahi essential filmmaking skills, from scripting and filming to editing, nurturing their creativity and self-expression.

Keeti’s moemoeā…

Ko Keeti Ngatai-Melbourne ahau. I tupu ake ahau ki raro i te maru o Whetumatarau, ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti, me ngā mātāpono o Ngāti Porou. Tēnei au e mihi ana ki a koutou mō tēnei taonga whakahirahira, ā, mō tēnei whakaaro nui ki te whakanui i te hunga rangatahi mō āpōpō.

E tipu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao – Nā Tā Apirana Ngata

Tā Apirana Ngata and I share a bond through our love for Ngāti Porou, our shared birth date of July 3rd, and our aspiration to lead our people towards a brighter future. With this spirit, I am excited to introduce a new kaupapa within Ngāti Porou: “E Tipu, E Rea.”

Ngāti Porou’s East Coast is rich with talent and storytelling potential but lacks resources and opportunities for our Rangatahi. “E Tipu, E Rea” aims to change this with a three-day film workshop at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti. This workshop will teach rangatahi essential filmmaking skills, from scripting and filming to editing, nurturing their creativity and self-expression, I also hope to help develop their films and present their ideas to production houses across Aotearoa, opening new doors for our Rangatahi.

I have grown up immersed in reo, tikanga, and whānau which has strengthened my commitment to our people. My career has included directing Reo Māori short films, reporting on protests, creating short docos about our whānau and holding film workshops for our Rangatahi.

Inspired by the Nāti Awards, (which have been absent since 2014) I am determined to eventually revive this kaupapa and open new opportunities for our rangatahi. This workshop will pave the way for the revival of the Nāti Awards, ensuring our tamariki thrive in an evolving world. – E Tipu, E Rea.