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A light skin toned man with dark hair and a full beard is facing the camera smiling with his teeth showing. He is wearing a blazer and a collared shirt. Atop the Blazer is an adornment with light colored sticks and feathers that covers both lapels. The photo is black and white and the background features two circles, one which is purple and the other dark pink.

Heperi Mita

Leaders Asia-Pacific 2023

Role

Filmmaker and Funding Advisor, NZ on Air

Location

Aotearoa, New Zealand

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Biography

Heperi Mita is a Māori filmmaker and funding advisor for NZ on Air, an independent government funding agency delivering quality and diverse public media throughout New Zealand. Heperi works to affect change from within the system, advocating for representation and equity in the telling of Māori and Polynesian stories. He focuses on the representation and portrayal of Indigenous identity and intellectual property ownership. Born to a family of filmmakers, Heperi saw firsthand the lack of ownership and autonomy given to Indigenous creatives. This experience drives his passion for challenging colonial dominance and for promoting the proliferation of Indigenous stories through cinema in order to promote awareness and understanding of minority perspectives.