Tainui Tukiwaho Photo:
Actor, director, producer and writer, Tainui Tukiwaho (Te Arawa, Tūhoe) is the recent winner of the 2023 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Known for roles on Step Dave and having taken on portraying legendary comedian, Billy T James for telemovie, Billy, Tukiwaho has taken home $10,000, to encourage his writing for theatre. His latest play The Sun and the Wind was acclaimed on premiere in Wellington this year and appears as part of Auckland Arts Festival in 2024.
Tukiwaho speaks to Culture 101's Perlina Lau following a writing workshop about what’s next on the cards and his focus on producing Māori work.
Tukiwaho graduated from Unitec School of Performing Arts in 2001 and started his career as an actor before taking on directing and writing. He is a founder of Te Pou Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau which opened in 2015 as a Māori performing arts venue, which he started with a group of friends.
