Digital Nati Profile – Rapaera Tawhai

Digital Nati Profile – Rapaera Tawhai

NAME:Rapaera Tawhai
AGE:19
IWI:Ngai Tuhoe, Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou
FAV KAI:Butter Chicken, Ham and Cheese Bagel
FAV ICE CREAM:Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
FAV MOVIE:Sister Act 2

What East Coast Schools did you attend?

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Waiu o Ngati Porou

What's your job in the media?

Finally I have found myself a real job lmao!!

Reporter / Te Karere

How did you get your job?

Well it was krack up actually I was a student at Southseas Film and Television School and Anzac Pikia rung me up one day because they were short of reporters.
I thought I was going in for an interview but when I got in they told me I had to go and shoot a story, cut the grabs, go into edit and cut the story and do my voice overs. I didn’t even know what the hell was going on lmao!!
But I shot it did my IVs and got back and started cutting the grabs on the computer. Than Anzac goes you have to go and edit now, so I went in wrote me up a script and the cool part was saying
RAPAERA TAWHAI TE KARERE….hehehe

Next minute they ring me up a few weeks later saying can I come in and start working for them, saying that my story was good enough so yeah that’s how I started!! Now hopefully not finishing until I get old like Joe Glen lmao!!

Did you always want to work in the media?

Well I think I had no choice being brought up in it and all!! Oh hang on ra....lmao!!
No since I can remember Ive always wanted to work here….TVNZ I mean. At first it was presenting but then I liked reporting so yeah…
I finally get to say what I always wanted to say when I was little, RAPAERA TAWHAI MO TE KARERE…..

Lmao wota krak up aye!!

What  Nati Award entries did you make when you were at school and did you win anything?

Ummm first I was in the ICT team challenge with Naiki, Raintree and Kyoko.
Oh man lucky Naiki was in our team otherwise we would of got smoked lmao!!
But we won!! The second year I entered in the Senior Graphic Animation Section. I remember that because there were a few of us up all night at school tryna finish our projects so we make the deadline lmao!!
But yeah won that one again luckly!! Oh and Krisynthia and I acted in the evening awards ceremony intro film  that’s right, see and I was the reporter! Must have been a destiny aye lmao!!


What training/ experience did you do to get your job in the media?

Oh I studied at Southseas Film and TV school with Hana Parata Walker, Mena Walker, Hataraka Ngata-Gibson and Katerina Williams. Man It was the greatest experience in my entire lyife!!
And they have a studio show assignment there called TV5 news man was it mean!! It taught me everything I know lmao!!
And of course just being a know it all gets you somewhere!!

What do you enjoy about your new job?

The stress and the rush, it makes the day go faster!! Honestly it does. You don’t just sit here doing nothing!!

What skills do you use in your job?

Just basic knowledge really, but you have to have a clue about the general news and current affairs. So whats hot in the Maoritanga news gets you somewhere.

What study / mahi should rangatahi do if they want to get into the media?

Honestly go to Southseas and Te Waiu. They taught me everything I know I think!! Lmao!! Well while I was at course anyway lmao!!
Nah but yeah I reckon Southseas pushing the students to archive and pass!! Its better than Uni because of all the practical work!!


What advice do you have if they want to do it as a career?

Go hard, know your stuff!! You have to have a true passion for media to stay here. Have good communication skills and be earlier than your boss, stay later than your boss, and work your bum off to get your stories or doco or whatever your deadline is in to the dropzone!!

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui!!