Dame Miranda Harcourt is following in her mum Kate's footsteps. Photo / Supplied
Miranda Harcourt
Dame companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the screen industry and theatre
When Miranda Harcourt found out she had been named a dame companion of the NZ Order of Merit, she “thought it was a joke”.
“I thought it must have been a wrongly addressed email or a message for my mother,” she tells the Herald.
The confusion is understandable – her mum, Kate, 95, was named a dame companion of the NZ Order of Merit in 1996 for her contribution to theatre.
Now her daughter, an actress and acting coach who works with clients all over the world, from aspiring young actors to Hollywood heavyweights, is carrying on that legacy.
At the time of writing, Harcourt hadn’t yet told her mother the news because “she’s 95 and I can’t trust her to keep a secret”, she says with a chuckle.
But she imagines her mother reacting “with disbelief”.
“And then she’ll say, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ And then she’ll have a good laugh, then I’ll leave the room to boil the kettle and she’ll say to my husband, ‘So where’s the bit of paper that says why?’ She’ll want to read up all about it.”
Harcourt will “absolutely” be bringing her mother along to her investiture ceremony in early 2023. “She will absolutely love it.”
So, with two generations of dames in the family, could we see her daughter Thomasin, 22 – who has more than made a name for herself in Hollywood – follow the same path?
“Who knows what the future will hold?” Harcourt says, hesitant to speculate.
“Our daughters are very busy at the moment, all of our children are busy building their careers.”
As she notes, the Honours aren’t simply about career achievements, but more importantly about service to the community. It’s something she and her mother have in common.
“I’m very proud, and I know my mother is also very proud, of the service that we’ve been able to provide to build and develop our community in the screen and stage industries,” she says.
For Harcourt, that community service has included working in the prison system as a drama therapist and starting a literacy programme for inmates at Arohata Women’s Prison in Wellington – something she describes as a “massive paradigm shift” in her own career.
Her representation of Women’s Refuge and advocacy for the international charity So They Can are also hugely important to the acting coach.
“Being the voice of Women’s Refuge has been a really powerful part of my life over the past couple of years, at a time when they’ve needed New Zealanders’ support the most.”
As for her achievements in her own career, Harcourt is most proud of pioneering verbatim theatre in Aotearoa.
“It doesn’t matter who I’m working with, I still use the magic of verbatim text, which is the poetry of the way real people speak – and that’s my magic tool.
“It’s still something I’m very passionate about now and use every day in my work as an acting coach.”
As an acting coach, Harcourt has worked with some huge names – think Melanie Lynskey, Nicole Kidman, Saoirse Ronan, Dev Patel.
But throughout the years, her advice for aspiring actors has stayed the same.
“Often when I meet young actors, they are desperate to become somebody else,” she notes.
“So my advice to any young actor is that you’ve got to learn to be yourself before you can be somebody else.
“And I’m surprised that I still have to say that because you would say that to anybody. Whether they are learning to be a lawyer, whether they are learning to be a gardener, you would say, ‘To thine own self be true.’”
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)
For services to the entertainment and comedy industries
The Kiwi comedian, writer and entertainer has been recognised for her contributions to Aotearoa’s comedy scene, particularly her campaigns for women’s safety and access in the industry.
ONZM
For services to the performing arts
David Fane, one of the original Naked Samoans, is a staple of the performing arts sector in Aotearoa. Fane’s countless claims to fame include Outrageous Fortune, Bro’Town, Sione’s Wedding, Dawn Raids, and currently Taika Waititi’s Our Flag Means Death.
ONZM
For services to children’s television and the community
Janine Morrell-Gunn (Ngāti Kahungunu) co-founded Christchurch-based Whitebait Media and has created countless television programmes for Kiwi kids over the years, including the iconic What Now. Through her work, she has also helped provide emergency care and mental health help for children in Aotearoa.
ONZM
Services to Māori language education and broadcasting
Former Silver Fern Pānia Papa is known for championing te reo Māori in education and in broadcasting. She’s written educational shows Ako and Ōpaki in te reo, produced te reo versions of several shows and has composed countless waiata in contribution to the revitalisation of the language in Aotearoa.
ONZM
For services to Pacific arts and the screen industry
Samoan-Kiwi producer and director Lisa-Jane Taouma is a champion of the Pacific arts. Not only the creator of Coconet TV, she pioneered Polyfest and has created countless short films and documentaries including TV series Teine Sā.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
For services to the performing arts
Catherine Cornish has created countless music programmes and festivals for New Zealand communities and has directed several student choirs.
MNZM
For services to the arts
Writer, art critic and researcher Alana Lopesi has published countless works on Aotearoa art and culture, and is currently assistant professor at the University of Oregon’s Department of Indigenous Race and Ethnic Studies in the US.
The Queen’s Service Medal
For services to opera
Soprano and soloist Naomi Baker-Wenley founded the Hawke’s Bay Opera in 1986, engaging countless national and international artists to perform in Aotearoa, and established the James Baker Scholarship.