Dolina Wehipeihana and Jarod Rawiri
Jarod Rawiri (Ngati Whanaunga, Ngati Tu¯wharetoa, Te Uri o Hau, Nga¯ti Hine) is a 42-year-old actor who’s appeared in Shortland Street and The Brokenwood Mysteries, among other popular productions. His wife Dolina Wehipeihana (Ngati Tukorehe, Ngati Raukawa) is 45 and a choreographer/producer/arts manager. They have four children aged between 9-23 and live in Auckland.
DI’d seen Jarod perform in a show and thought he was super talented, but I was with the father of my oldest child at the time so wasn’t looking for a partner. By the time we met, I’d been separated a year and wasn’t interested in a relationship because I was focusing on my daughter, my dance career and being a working mum. I was super nervous to meet Jarod because I’d just seen him on stage, but he’s got such a big heart and was really friendly so we had an instant connection.
It did take me a while to let Jarod in though, because I had a young daughter and any decision I made also affected her.
But Jarod brought so much joy to my life. Going on previous relationships, I’d thought love had to be full of drama. But with Jarod it was so easy and natural – had I mistaken drama for love? Quite possibly. That’s when I realised this was what love was supposed to be like.
We work so well because we have the same values and the same interests. Jarod has a great sense of humour and is a fantastic dad – it’s that big heart of his. His only negative is he can never remember where he put his wallet and keys. Every day we deal with the same issue. But it’s a small thing, and it makes me laugh.
I proposed to Jarod because I had a thing about getting married before I turned 40. We had a big wedding up north on family land with glamping tents. Lots of our friends are entertainers, so we had performances from people like the Modern Ma¯ ori Quartet.
I had such a drama with my dress, though. I couldn’t find the fabric I wanted anywhere, but a friend found it in London. She went on Facebook to see if anyone was flying back to New Zealand and some random stranger brought it back just before Christmas. Costume designer Elizabeth Whiting had two weeks to make the dress.
Having two performers under the same roof isn’t an issue. Jarod is so laid-back it’s easy to give him feedback. I’m his biggest critic.
Being away from each other is tough and before the pandemic I used to do a lot of international travel. I always get a bit sad just before I have to leave. But we understand the mahi is part of our whole selves. It can get a bit tricky when we’re both working out of town at the same time, but we have great family support, and we support each other to do what we need to do.
JI was 23 and fresh out of a relationship when I met Dolina. I’m Auckland born and bred, but was in Wellington at drama school when we met. I saw Dolina dance in a performance and she was amazing. My flatmate at the time, Waimihi, did a bit of matchmaking and orchestrated it so Dolina came to see me in a play at Te Papa.
Waimihi made sure the two of us were sitting together at drinks afterwards. We got on really well that night, but Dolina had to be up early for a dress rehearsal, so I walked her back to her flat and caught the bus home.
She asked me out on a date – to a sushi bar – and I was too nervous to tell her I’m allergic to fish. I kept trying to find the non-fish items because I didn’t want to be like Will Smith in that movie Hitch where his face swells up. Afterwards I was starving, so we ended up going to a cafe for waffles.
We spent that whole week together before Dolina had to go back to Auckland. The thing that appealed is that she’s so easy to talk to. I knew I was punching above my weight, because Dolina is so beautiful and a 10, whereas I was probably a six. But that just made me fearless because I thought, let’s give it a go and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
Clearly it worked because we’ve been together almost 20 years. Dolina proposed to me in 2012. It was February 29, and a leap year; I was acting in Wellington, so she called me after the show. I was in McDonald’s so couldn’t talk, but she called back about 11.30pm and asked me to marry her.
I’d almost proposed twice before – once in Hawaii where Dolina was working, but she so was stressed about the show it wasn’t appropriate, and once at a friend’s wedding at Dunedin’s Larnach Castle where the bride threw the bouquet and it got caught in the wind and almost in slow motion, ended up in Dolina’s hands. I thought, I’ve got to propose now, but everyone started making jokes and the moment was gone. Dolina is really organised and practical – we balance each other out. We also have the same values when it comes to family and our communities, especially Ma¯ ori and the arts community.
Even though we’re in the same industry, there’s no jealousy or competition. We support each other fully and make it work when the other person has to be out of town. It’s hard, but this way we both get to do what we love.