TACKLING the big issues

Karl Puschmann talks to Miriama Mcdowell about poverty, privilege and rugby

Tackling The Big Issues

Miriama Mcdowell’s new drama, Head High, is about rugby. But it’s also about bigger topics, bigger issues, bigger things. And as neither of us has much of a clue about our national game, the conversation naturally spirals out to the wings of the show.

We talk about privilege and what that looks like in New Zealand. We talk about the haves and the have-nots. We talk about the marginalisation of women’s sports. We talk about what it means for a local, primetime, flagship drama series to predominantly feature young Maori and Pacific Island actors in the lead roles. We talk about parenting and relationship struggles. And we talk about toxicity in sports.

But before we talk about all that, we talk about her own personal athletic history.

“I’m definitely more of an arts person than a sports person,” she laughs. “I played netball. I did the whole Saturday morning thing for all of my high school years. I was an umpire and a player. But I was also in the G team, so that says a lot about my skill ... and my commitment to the game.”

Fittingly, for someone in love with performing, she says her position was either Goal Shoot or Goal Attack — aka the glory positions.

“I used to practise the goals,” she recalls. “My dad put a hoop up on the lamp post.”

On the show she plays Renee, a police constable and rugby-mad mum whose rugby

This is New Zealand. This is our country. I see myself here. I’m not just talking about people of colour. I’m talking about Pakeha as well.

— Miriama Mcdowell