Waititi judged Kiwi of Year
Filmmaker ‘an inspiring example of who we are’
He’s shown the world who we are, and now filmmaker Taika Waititi has been named the 2017 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. And he reacted in typically Kiwi fashion. Humbly.
Waititi is in Los Angeles directing the latest instalment of Marvel’s Thor series and wasn’t able to travel home to receive the award — it was instead presented to his wife, Chelsea Winstanley, by Prime Minister Bill English.
But the Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Boy director told the Herald by phone that he was “really happy and proud” to be chosen.
“It’s a great honour and, yeah, It’s pretty unexpected . . . sometimes you feel a bit like there’s probably someone else more deserving, but at the same time, I’ll take it. “I’ll humbly accept.” He thought art was important and deserving of value, though. “I think it’s really important what artists and filmmakers and our writers, what they do for putting New Zealand culture on the map.”
Chief judge Cameron Bennett said Waititi was an “exciting and inspiring example of who and what we are as Kiwis”. “Creative, courageous, audacious, subversive and downright funny, he’s at the forefront of New Zealand filmmaking and the arts.”
Waititi’s wife, accompanied by Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s young breakout star Julian Dennison, also collected the Kiwibank kaitaka huaki cloak, Pouhine, from last year’s New Zealander of the Year, Richie McCaw, on her husband’s behalf.
Waititi said he made his own films for Kiwis, but it was a nice surprise when they won a wider audience. “It does make you very proud and puts a bit more faith in your own work when your stories travel.”
The 41-year-old, who is also a champion for engaging youth in the arts and has spoken publicly about youth suicide and child poverty, said with an early start for work he would not be celebrating immediately, but plans would be made.
He will be working on Thor until October or November, after which he plans to return to New Zealand and do one of his own projects.
Two other high-achieving Kiwis were finalists for the supreme award.
They were an educator and researcher, Professor Mere Berryman, and the Salvation Army’s social policy and parliamentary unit principal adviser, Major Campbell Roberts.
Winners were also announced in five other categories last night.
Auckland lawyer Rez Gardi was named Young New Zealander of the Year for services to human rights, and former Royal New Zealand Ballet general manager Sue Paterson, of Wellington, was Senior New Zealander for her services to the arts.
Auckland doctor Ed Gane, who led a team that developed a cure for hepatitis C, is the 2017 Innovator of the Year for services to health.
Another Aucklander, Hayden Smith, is the Local Hero of the Year for services to conservation.
Community of the Year is Randwick Park in South Auckland. There were 375 nominations.