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Ka Wheturangitia
Witarina Te Miriarangi Parewhaika Mitchell was discovered more than 80 years ago to star in the film Under the Southern Cross. Years later she was rediscovered as a living treasure of New Zealand film.
Ko Witarina Te Miriarangi Parewhaika Mitchell no Ngati Whakaue o Te Arawa waka. I whanau mai a Witarina i te tau 1906 i Rotorua. E ki ai te korero ko Witarina 'He taonga e ora ana,' a, he taura hoki e whakapiri ana tatou ki nga whakaahua tawhito. I tenei wa ko ia te kaumatua o nga taonga e mau ana i te Puranga whakaahua nei o Aotearoa (New Zealand Film Archive).
Of Ngati Whakaue descent, she was born in 1906 in Rotorua. When Universal Pictures decided to shoot in New Zealand in 1928, they wanted a star to match the exotic locations. They found Witarina. Princess Miro was to be her only starring screen role as life became a busy mix of family and work within the Maori community. But as New Zealand film found enthusiastic new audiences in the 1980s, Witarina's standing as a living link with our film past was acknowledged.
Witarina Harris served as kaumatua for the Film Archive until her death in 2007 at the age of 101 years.
- Under the Southern Cross [offcuts] (1,400kb)
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