Roma Potiki (born 1958) is a New Zealand poet, playwright, visual artist, curator, theatre actor and director, as well as a commentator on MÃÂori theatre. She is of Te Rarawa, Te Aupà Âuri and NgÃÂti Rangitihi descent. As well as being a published poet, her work is included in the permanent collection of the Dowse Art Museum.
Roma Potiki was born in Lower Hutt, a city in the Wellington Region, and grew up in the suburb Wainuiomata. As a child she attended Wainuiomata Primary School, Woodhatton Primary School, Wainuiomata College and Wellington High School. Her first play was written while at primary school and she also started writing poetry at school.
Roma Potiki was involved in contemporary MÃÂori theatre in early formative years. She was in a play performed by Te Ika A Maui Players in 1978 called Death of the Land by Rore Hapipi (Rowley Habib). She went on to help form the MÃÂori theatre company Maranga Mai in 1979. This company was linked to the MÃÂori protest movement and they toured a theatre production in 1979 - 1980 to marae and schools. The play Maranga Mai that they presented was a fifty minute story of MÃÂori activism. It started in with the 1975 MÃÂori Land March, included reference to occupations at the Raglan Golf Course, Bastion Point and the protests by NgÃÂ Tamatoa during Waitangi Day. People involved included Brian Potiki, Anna Meihana, Hori Hapimana, Henare Hapimana, Buffy Pihema, Cyril Chapman, Jacki Davidson and Liz Marsden. The play included song, poetry, movement and drama.
In 1990, she was a founding director of another theatre company He Ara Hou. They performed and toured a play called Whatungarongaro. This play was directed by Potiki and John Anderson and devised over nine months with the company members. Potiki had previously done workshops with a theatre company PETA (Philippines Educational Theatre Association) and was influenced by their way of working.
Roma Potiki's writing includes poetry contribution to many anthologies, as well as published volumes. She has written the foreword to books of New Zealand MÃÂori plays and contributed text to exhibition catalogues. As an artist, Potiki has exhibited art work and one of her pieces Hinewai is in the collection of the Dowse Art Museum.
The poem Stones in her Mouth by Potiki inspired contemporary New Zealand choreographer Lemi Ponifasio to create a community leadership project also called Stones in her Mouth in 2013. This involved a group of MÃÂori women holding workshops at marae and writing text that was then performed.
Before actor Rena Owen was in Once Were Warriors, she performed a similar role in theatre company He Ara Hou's play Whatungarongaro that Potiki co-created. Owen's performance in Whatungarongaro influenced her being cast in Once Were Warriors.
Playwright and director of theatre company Tawata Productions Hone Kouka cites seeing Whatungarongaro in 1991 at the Depot Theatre in Wellington as being life changing and convincing him that innovative MÃÂori theatre had no boundaries. Another New Zealand theatre and film writer Briar Grace-Smith was an assistant to Potiki and learnt from the process of making Whatungarongaro.
Roma Potiki is widely published in anthologies.
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