Making her mark on the small screen in Maori TV’s Ahikaroa

HOMEGROWN TALENT: East Coast actress Roimata Fox plays the role of Mareikura in season two of Maori TV bilingual drama series Ahikaroa, which screens on Sundays. Picture supplied

East Coast actress Roimata Fox is one of the newest stars on Maori TV drama series Ahikaroa.

Ahikaroa (translated as long burning fires” is a Maori bilingual series that follows the lives of a group of young urban Maori living in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland).

Fox, who also starred in Maori TV comedy The Ring Inz and feature film drama Waru, plays the role of Mareikura in season two of the Ahikaroa series.

Mareikura is a reo Maori linguist, country girl and hunter gatherer, who sparks a connection with one of the stars of the show, Hemi (played by Nepia Takuira-Mita).

“Ahikaroa was fun,” said Fox. “It was awesome to observe all the fresh, young talent coming through with some very powerful performances. I learned a lot from them.”

Te reo Maori is the star of the show, incorporated in dialogue as a way of normalising the language in people’s daily lives — an aspect Roimata enjoyed being part of.

“Producer Quinton Hita and his team have done an amazing job of incorporating te reo into this drama.

“Any time Te Ahorangi (Winitana), Turia (Schmidt-Peke) and Nepia (the three main actors) would speak, it blew me away. It was so naturally done.

“One of our sound operators, Raniera Blake, was my lifeline in terms of the reo and would help me with a lot of my scenes.”

While the show is shot in Auckland, Fox — of Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu descent — is still based in Tairawhiti and only travels away for work.

She has had a mixture of roles on stage and screen, including her feature film debut in The Pa Boys in 2014, a recurring role on Maori TV comedy Find Me a Maori Bride, and te reo Maori soap Korero Mai.

Fox has also appeared on TV shows Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune.

“I live in Gisborne because my son Te Mahia loves his kura (school). But for me, home will always be Te Mahia beach and Ruatorea because that’s where my bones are.

“Living on the Coast keeps me grounded and I haven’t thought about moving to the city. Home is paradise.”