A business owner is thrust into New Zealand's dark underbelly after a million-dollar drug deal goes wrong on a blood-stained night, setting off a chain of events between dangerous factions.
‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ tells the story of Fritz, a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters led by ‘man-mountain’ Tahu. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.
1960s, East Coast of New Zealand. Two Māori sheep-shearing families, the Mahanas and the Poatas, are longstanding enemies and commercial rivals. 14-year-old Simeon Mahana, the youngest son of the youngest son is in conflict with his traditionalist grandfather, Tamihana. As Simeon unravels the truth behind the longstanding family vendetta he risks not just his own future prospects but the cohesion of the entire tight-knit society.
"This is Piki" is a Maori drama series produced by well known actor Cliff Curtis, also featuring Temuera Morrison, most often recognized for his role as "Jake Heke" in the powerful drama "Once Were Warriors". Another of a growing list of series and films in which the Maori language is front and center, "This is Piki" has been welcomed as a vehicle in which indigenous peoples, such as Pacific Islanders, present and represent themselves: their cultures, stories, identities and histories. Also playing a central role is Tia Maipi, the main actor in "Born to Dance", along with many other experienced Maori and Polynesian actors such as Calvin Tuteao from "The Last Saint", among other films.
Hongi, a Maori chieftain’s teenage son, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa, Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden “Dead Lands” and forge an uneasy alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
The multi-talented Edmund Eramiha (Ngāpuhi) has worked as a model, kapa haka performer, Muay Thai fighter, theatre tutor and television presenter. But since his break-out performance in Lee Tamahori movie Mahana (2016), he is probably best known as an actor. In 2021 Eramiha was nominated for an NZ TV Award for his first leading role in Vegas — as Kingi, a newly appointed gang leader, trying to move his community away from the drug trade. It marked the fourth time Eramiha has worked with director Kiel McNaughton. The pair also collaborated on film The Legend of Baron To'a and TV shows Find Me A Māori Bride and This Is Piki.
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