FILMS

In Development/Production (2021)

Prophets vs Kings; New Zealand, USA (2010 - ) Writer, Director, Producer

This film tells the story of Tohu Kakahi and Te Whiti O Rongomai, men now remembered as ‘prophets’. They led the people of the Maori town of Parihaka in a campaign of non-violent resistance between for many years in an attempt to save their way-of-life. This documentary looks at how they stood together against the confiscation of their land by the New Zealand government on behalf of the colonial settlers. We revisit the day in November 1881, where a military force of sixteen hundred men, marched on the settlement of Parihaka. These armed and battle-ready soldiers were offered bread baked by Parihaka’s women. They were met by a rousing haka from hundreds of boys as they marched around the bend of the road towards the town. Children sang and skipped in greeting as the soldiers passed through the village gates.No shots were fired on this day although the soldiers were under command to open fire at the slightest provocation. This peaceful defiance of a large army backed by the British Crown stands as one of the great moments in world history We™ll discover connections between the  Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and these events at Parihaka, with visits from Mahatma Gandhi™s grandson Arun Gandhi and Martin Luther King™s protege Dr Lawrence Carter in support of the town.

Water in Detroit; A Tale of Two Cities USA (2014 - ) Writer, Director, Producer

The film examines the essence and perception of the defining natural resource; water, and the social justice issue of our time; water availability , through an investigation of the Water Shut-Offs in Detroit. Who has access to water, who doesn't, and who controls water will be the defining issues of the century. 

Tahi – The Human Journey (2019) Co-Producer, Camera

Executive produced by Trician Van Klavaran of Fully Loaded Pictures, produced and directed by Karina Duffy of Mindstorm Productions. ‘Tahi - The Human Journey’ was shot between 2006 and 2018 in; North Africa, Fiji, New Zealand, The Marquesas Islands, Easter Island, Thailand, Tibet, India, and the USA. Currently in the final stage of post-production, this documentary investigates the connections between people around the globe, illuminating what it is that we all share.

The Lovely Bones (2009) Assistant Director (AD)

When not onset, worked as the official ‘Plane Spotter’. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380510/

Hone Tuwhare: The Return Home (2004) Writer, Director, Producer

"Poet and national treasure Hone Tuwhare was born near Kaikohe. Seventy-five years after he left Northland, poet and unabashed fan Glenn Colquhoun decided it was time he came back. He wrote a poem, published in the Listener, inviting the old man back to attend a poetry reading. It worked. Tuwhare, with Colquhoun, musicians Mahina Kaui, Lavinia Kaui, Lavinia Kingi and Nopera Pikari toured through Northland in March 2002. The Listener's Dennis Welch and Jane Usher, and filmmaker Michelle Mcgregor tagged along for the record. He read his poetry at public gatherings convened in his honour, visited polytechnics and schools and met with old friends and relatives. We see his public appearances and some of the bits in-between, as he clowns in his bed, croons an old song or two, gives fresh went to the anger that's contained in his most famous poem, relishes a seafood dinner, or mesmerizes school children with bawdiness and some heartfelt advice.

Mcgregor leaves us in little doubt that everyone he met felt happier and richer for the encounter. Her charming film is virtually guaranteed to continue the effect." – Bill Gosden, New Zealand International Film Festival

"Put all these talented people together, plug them into the Tuwhare dynamo, and from day one the whole entourage is generating good times, warmth and aroha like a hot-wired hui on wheels."– Denis Welch, NZ Listener

'Patron's Prize', Wairoa Maori Film Festival 2005

Country Med (2003) Director. Camera

Produced by Greenstone Productions for Television New Zealand’s TV One; Country Med follows Medical Doctors in the remote region of Coromandel New Zealand.

Kia Tupato (2003) Writer, Director

Kia Tupato (Be Careful) features the late Sir John Turei as he presents Maori views on Genetic Modification, with reference to the land and the teaching of his Grandparents. Sir John was considered a bridge between the cultures of Maori and non-Maori in New Zealand, and received many honours from the Government including a Knighthood. Born in 1920 in Tuhoe country in the East of the North Island, Sir John served in the Maori Battalion in the Second World War in the Middle East and in Italy. He was an adviser to various leaders and government departments and assisted in the formal openings of the New Zealand embassies in Seoul and India. Kia Tupato presents the teachings of Sir John and his people and includes footage from the protest movement against Genetic Modification in New Zealand.

Kia Tupato has screened on Maori Television, and to film festivals and gatherings internationally. The film was screened for the United Nations Conference in Kauai, Hawaii.

First prize, Maori Television 'He Puata Whakairo Short Film Awards' 2004

Watch at https://archive.org/details/kiatupato