Tikitiki a Tāranga te tohu o te kaha, o te kōrero, o te whakapapa o tēnei wāhi, o tēnei whare.
Nau mai e te tī, e te tā ki te whare kōrero, ki te whare whakaari o ASB ki te tahatika o te moana.
Mauri tau, mauri ora!
The symbols of support, of strength and of guardianship stand fast and proud.
The waters of Waitematā ebb and flow against the shores here at Waikōkota, the land upon which we stand.
The pou of remembrance to Māui Tikitiki a Tāranga stands tall as a beacon of courage, of stories passed down and of the history that connects us all to this place and to this space.
We welcome you all from near and far to this house of stories, to the ASB Waterfront Theatre.
Mauri tau, mauri ora!
Pouwhakamaumāharatanga mō Māui Tikitiki a Tāranga
The Memorial Post of Māui the Topknot of Tāranga
Robert Jahnke ONZM (Ngāi Taharoa, Te Whānau a Iritekura, Te Whānau a Rākairo o Ngāti Porou) 2016
Laminated tōtara and Corten steel
Proudly commissioned by Auckland Theatre Company for ASB Waterfront Theatre
Malo etau lava hou’eiki moe kainga, welcome to Red, White and Brass: The Play!
There’s a saying “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. This quote sums up the whole experience that has been Red, White and Brass. From pen hitting paper for the first time, to the ticket stubs that made our film the number one local grossing movie in New Zealand in 2023, it really has taken a village to get to this point. No one more so than my family and my church – Wesley Church, Taranaki St, Wellington. The village that raised me.
The Red, White and Brass experience has been a case of art imitating life. Maka tricks his church into forming a band so that he can get free tickets to the game and Nua tricks his family and church into becoming actors so that he can make a movie and get that elusive credit as a feature film writer & producer and commence my climb of the Hollywood ladder.
To be honest, it gets overwhelming when I think of the extent that my family and my church went to when making this film. My cousins had never been on a filmset, my family didn’t even know this is what my actual job was, my parents had never acted a day in their lives. Yet here they were, parking up outside their comfort zone to retell our story and show the world the beauty of our culture.
We did that on screen and now here we are again bringing that māfana vibe to the stage. It’s crazy to think that we’re even at this point but as I said earlier, if you want to go far, go together. Red, White and Brass is beyond Leadley Lane, it’s more than Wesley Church, it’s for all Tongans now and when that red wave gets going, we fill stadiums, we fill cinemas and now we’re filling theatres!
Thank you so much for riding the red wave with us. It’s T-Gang to the world. Chheeee hooooo!!!!!
Halaifonua (Nua) Finau
Writer & Producer of Red, White and Brass The Film and Executive Producer of The Play
AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
Film screenplay by Halaifonua Finau and Damon Fepulea’i and directed by Damon Fepulea’i.
Film produced by Piki Films and Miss Conception Films.
Senior Carpenters — Duncan Perratt, Geoff Goss, Giovanni Maule
Cultural Advisor — Sesilia Pusiaki
BRASS BAND
Maamaloa Brass Band under Music
Director Kalino Pongi
CREATIVE
Playwright — Leki Jackson-Bourke
Directors — Anapela Polata’ivao & Vela Manusaute
Assistant Director — Petmal Lam
Music Director — Joanna Mika Toloa
Assistant Music Director — ’Aisea Latu
Production Designer — Sean Coyle
Costume Designer — Chrissy Vaega
Sound Designers — Evoke Audio: Matt Eller & Ryan Fairweather (Assistant)
Choreographer — Mario Faumui
Dramaturg — Allison Horsley
Executive Producers —
Halaifonua Finau & Carthew Neal
Education Pack Writer —
Esther Leilua and Anna Richardson
Education Pack Graphic Designer — Wanda Tambrin
Teaching Artists — Esther Leilua & Richie Sikuea
Publicity — 818
Photographer — Andi Crown
Brass band uniforms designed by Daisy Marcuzzi
Auckland Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Red, White and Brass: The Play adapted by Leki Jackson-Bourke. This stage adaptation was commissioned by Auckland Theatre Company from the film screenplay by Halaifonua Finau and Damon Fepulea’i and directed by Damon Fepulea’i. Film produced by Piki Films and Miss Conception Films.
Red, White and Brass: The Play is the fourth production in Auckland Theatre Company’s 2024 season. It began previews on Tuesday 18 June and premiered on Thursday 20 June at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland.
Red, White and Brass: The Play is 2 hours, 20 minutes long including interval. Please switch off all noise-emitting devices.
Programme photography by Raymond Sagapolutele & Alyssa Medel.
Mālō e lava mai. Welcome.
Welcome to the world premiere of Leki Jackson-Bourke’s stage adaptation of the hit film, Red, White and Brass, commissioned by Auckland Theatre Company.
This is a true story. It comes from Halaifonua Finau’s family, church and community. With co-writer and director Damon Fepulea’i, Nua brought to the screen an improbable story of what can be achieved with an abundance of overconfidence, blind loyalty, plastic trumpets and Tongan māfana. Now, with the blessing of the film-makers, we tell the story on stage.
This is a production made with Tongan generosity. Every person at every moment has embraced this story and the artists with ’ofa atu, with love. The people who have come together enjoy one another’s company, and many are close friends and frequent collaborators. From this camaraderie comes trust. And fun. It’s been so, so much fun.
Carthew Neal, Executive Producer of the movie for Piki Films, was the one who proposed this project. You don’t get to be me by letting good ideas
run away, so I immediately seized on the opportunity. The very best people immediately came around the idea and here we are.
Two brilliant artists in husband and wife duo, directors Anapela Polata’ivao and Vela Manusaute, have brought this hugely ambitious vision to the stage with their creative team. We have a gift of a cast: many from the film, each one a joy to be around. Their work as actors lies at the heart of this very special production.
All of us who have been involved in Red, White and Brass, the film and the play, have been caught up in the māfana of the story. At our very first meeting, Nua said “I want it to be mean to be Tongan.“ Now, his wish has come true: a Tongan theatre takeover. And they’re not giving it back any time soon.
This is our city’s theatre company. Everyone is welcome.
Jonathan Bielski Artistic Director & CEO Auckland Theatre Company
Note from the Directors
Red, White and Brass: The Play – from the screen to the stage!
We are celebrating the historic milestone that is the first-ever Tongan story to be staged at the state-of-the-art ASB Waterfront Theatre as part of the Auckland Theatre Company programme. This is a momentous occasion and we’re proud to have led this vaka alongside a brilliant team of designers: Sean Coyle (set/lights), Chrissy Vaega and Jordan Raela (costumes), Joanna Mika Toloa and ’Aisea Latu (music), and Matt Eller (sound). Malo team!
Malo Nua Finau and kainga for trusting us with your triumphant and heartfelt story. We can only hope that the undeniable māfana energy from Red White and Brass, the film, ignites the stage version too!
Malo Jonathan, Anna, Sums and the terrific Auckland Theatre Company whānau for trusting our assembled team to build the production of Red White and Brass to full realisation for the theatre. It’s been a blast creating in the whare!
Our heartfelt salute to the amazing cast – what joy and laughter we’ve had these past weeks: the kind of laughter where stars appear at the tail end of an exhale. The space has been a haven of joy and hard work, and we’re extremely proud of your
tenacious work ethic, especially given the amount of choreography and music involved that you have had to learn. To our Unitec students, Siana, Ronnie and Bear, thank you; we’ve loved having you.
One of the strengths of Leki’s adaptation lies in the nuanced and complex strands of family dynamics for our protagonist Maka (our charming lead, JP Foliaki), in his trajectory between siblings, parents and his relentless determination to achieve his goal. Thank you, Leki for your generous spirit. It’s been a pleasure to be at the helm of your work. Thank you for your trust.
Lastly, to our stage management team – Petmal and Chiara, led by the wonderful Natasha Thyne –thank you for keeping us in line and keeping track of our box of biscuits.
Special mention to the Maamaloa Brass Band and their leader Lino, thank you for joining us.
"What do I always say? Stay fefeka! Never pelu!" Maka (Stay strong! Never fold!)
Enjoy the show!
Malo ’aupito, Anapela and Vela Directors
Director
MANUSAUTE Director
ANAPELA POLATA’IVAO
VELA
Red, White and Brass in rehearsal. Photo: Alyssa Medel
Playwright
LEKI JACKSON-BOURKE
Leki Jackson-Bourke is an awardwinning playwright of Niuean, Tongan and Samoan descent. Leki graduated from the former Pacific Institute of Performing Arts and has toured New Zealand, Australia, USA, UAE, Europe and the Pacific with multiple companies, including Massive Theatre Company, Black Grace and Kila Kokonut Krew.
His first play, Inky Pinky Ponky, co-written with Amanaki PrescottFaletau, premiered at the Basement Theatre in 2015 as part of Auckland Theatre Company’s Next Big Thing Festival. In that same year, it won the teenage category of Playmarket’s Plays for the Young competition.
In 2018, Leki became the first Pasifika playwright to receive the Creative New Zealand Todd New Writer’s Bursary grant and won the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Award for Emerging Pacific Artist.
In 2019, Leki was the inaugural Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence at the International Institute of Modern Letters, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. The Gangster’s Paradise premiered at the ASB Waterfront Theatre as part of Auckland Theatre Company’s Here and Now Festival and went on to win the teenage category of Playmarket’s Plays for the Young competition.
Today, Leki works as a freelance artist under the newly formed theatre company Strictly Brown, alongside Saale Ilaua. Leki is also a core creative in the South Auckland Collective Sau E Siva Creatives. Leki’s other plays include Pring it On and the stage adaptation of the hit film Red, White and Brass.
Note from the Playwright
When I was approached to write the stage adaptation of Red, White and Brass, I jumped at the opportunity. To me, it was more than a commission – it was redemption. I thought about the sacrifices my grandfather endured when he migrated from Tonga in the 1970s. I thought about how he had to hide his language and culture in order to assimilate into New Zealand society at the time. Fast-forward to 2024 – his dreams weigh heavily on my shoulders and we finally get to represent the Kingdom of Tonga at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. This script means so many things to so many different people. It is loud, proud and unapologetically Tongan. I hope you enjoy the stage version of this amazing story of Tongan pride and passion by Halaifonua Finau.
Koe ’Otua mo Tonga ko hoku tofi’a! God and Tonga are my inheritance!
Tu’a ofa atu Leki Jackson-Bourke
Synopsis
It’s 2011 in Wellington and the seventh Rugby World Cup is just around the corner. Maka, a Tongan superfan, will do whatever it takes to score tickets for the most important game of their lives – the Tonga versus France Rugby World Cup game. When Maka and his cousin Veni fail to get tickets, they decide to form a traditional Tongan marching band
for the pre-match entertainment, just so they can go to the game. The only problem is, the band doesn’t exist and Maka has four weeks to put one together.
Inspired by an amazing ’straightup’ true story and with bucketloads of Tongan māfana (warmth), Red, White and Brass is a story of friendship, family and fearlessly standing up for what you believe in.
Education Activities: Concept
When you are revising for your live performance exam, you will want to unpack what you think the creatives intended to communicate through their choices. In the case of Red, White and Brass and its journey to the stage it is important to consider the show's whakapapaHalaifonua (Nua) Finau’s story and writing, Leki Jackson-Burke’s stage adaptation, and Anapela and Vela’s research and preparation as part of the director’s concept. These activities will help you brainstorm and collate your ideas, as well as providing evidence or quotes to support your explanations and discussions around the exam questions.
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Using the “Welcome” by Halaifonua Finau, and the “Note from the Directors” and the following prereading activities to identify quotes, ideas and themes that you could explore and unpack in a revision and in a report construction context.
The resource you will need access to for this activity is a Know, Want to Know, Learned Chart: KWL chart (reference: NCEA Literacy Planning Resources)
• Your topic is “Unpacking the Director's Concept”
• Fill out the ‘know’ section of the chart. What do you as an audience member already know about what the creatives were trying to communicate from the way Red, White and Brass was brought to life on stage? You can include what you learnt at the forum.
• Note down things that you ‘want to know’ in the next section. Discuss this with a peer or small group. What questions did you have as you watched the production? What themes, motifs, symbols stood out to you that you would like supporting quotes or ideas for in order to unpack these?
• Read both “Welcome” by Halaifonua Finau, and the “Note from the Directors”.
• Circle ideas that you want to explore further as a class
• Highlight quotes that might support an exam answer or be included in your report
• Underline ideas that you would like your teacher to unpack with you
• Share what you have circled, highlighted and underlined with the rest of your class and with your teacher. Discuss and make notes as a class that you can access later.
• On your own; from what you have circled, highlighted and underlined - fill out the “Learned” section of the chart.
Extension: you may want to take these notes, class discussions and ideas and do further reading and research so that you can incorporate your own thoughts, responses and perspective in the way you respond in your exam or in the report you construct.
CONCEPT MOOD BOARD
Choose a moment in Red, White and Brass that you found particularly compelling. Create a physical or digital mood board around what you think the creatives were trying to communicate to the audience through their creative choices. You can imagine what they might have been thinking, drawing on from research and how they might have directed the designers or actors to bring that moment to life. Your moodboard could include the following:
• Reference pictures you think might have inspired the scene
• Colour palette for the designer
• Research they might have drawn on
• What they might have said to the actors
• Sketches with annotations of how they have directed actors to use the space and interact with set/ staging
• Any other notes you imagine the director was thinking about, for example, highlighting symbols, imagery or motifs or building tension and contrast.
You may choose to use parts of this in your report or reference it during revision.
REFERENCES:
NCEA Literacy Planning Resources
OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
• Anapela Polataivao on stepping up to the work | The Spinoff
• Red, White and Brass gets stage makeover - with lots of Tongan pride | RNZ
• Red, White, Brass and most of all, Tongan | Stuff
• Hit Tongan rugby movie Red, White and Brass turned into stage play | One News
Meet the Actors
Veni
SAALE ILAUA
Pea, Ma’ufanga
What is your favourite line from your character?
All of them. They’re all too good to choose from.
What do you want for your character beyond the script?
I want him to be really successful in his work and study. He’s one of those characters that do really well for themselves and gives back to the community - but he has only learnt/found a passion to do that through the journey he’s been on with Maka.
What advice do you want to give to drama students?
I would say if you’re wanting to be an actor, pay close attention the small details of characters and their relationships with each other and in their interaction with the world around them.
Sefo
KASI VALU
’Eua, Lapaha, Ma’ufanga
What is your favourite line/scene from your character?
It’s definitely the zumba scene when Sefo is instructing everyone to pick and punch the coconut.
What do you want for your character beyond the script?
I want Sefo to get over his ego and support his siblings.
What advice do you want to give to drama students?
It’s a hard knock life out here! So you have to celebrate who you are off stage so when the lights come up on stage,you can continue the party.
Reverend Pita
ONETOTO IKAVUKA
Fu’amotu and Kolomotu’a
REV PITA: Mako’s very traditional Dad and head of the church.
What is your favourite line/scene from your character?
When he screams the sermon, that’s my favourite.
What do you want for your character beyond the script?
I want him to be a more gentle Father with his kids, for him to show his loving side.
What advice do you want to give to drama students?
If you want to get into performing arts, do it. Just go for it. You’ve only got one life.
Reverend Hansell JASON MANUMU’A
Kanokupolu and Navutoka, Tongatapu
REV PITA: The traditional church Minister.
What is your favourite line from your character?
When Rev Hansell kind of snaps the youth rehearsing with instruments, he picks up a little mouth piece and is visibly scandalised - that’s pretty funny.
What do you want for your character beyond the script?
I want him to place more value on support for young people as opposed to tradition and orthodox values.
What advice do you want to give to drama students?
Be proud of who you are, be proud of the whole spectrum of your culture, go hard out! When it’s time to celebrate, celebrate! Find out what it is about your culture and celebrate that to the nth degree!
Education Activities
Actor’s Choices
When you are thinking about an actor's performance to write about in an exam or report setting, you will want to build a comprehensive profile of how they used their body, voice, movement and use of space. Details about motivation, ideas or symbols they highlighted and moments of subtext that pointed to themes or relationship dynamics. You will want to link these details to specific moments in the performance, describing what was happening on stage and linking to big ideas and wider context.
These activities will enable you to build a kētē of information about characters you found compelling or who were integral to the narrative.
It is important to understand why the character is behaving the way they are, what has happened for them prior to the play beginning that makes them who they are and what they are communicating to the audience.
CHARACTER MAP
The family dynamics and character relationships are integral to the story being told in Red, White and Brass. In order to understand each character’s purpose within the wider narrative it is important to map how they are connected and delve into what motivates them. Using information above in the “Meet the characters” section of this education pack and the cast list, complete the following activity:
• Draw a family tree - you could pull the images directly from the pack to create a physical or digital version. Yours or your group's version of the family tree should make sense to you and can look different from your peers.
• Outline the key relationships and hierarchy within the family
• Annotate what the characters think of each other, include how the characters contrast, the tensions of the relationships
• Add key quotes for each character
• Come up with a key sentence which captures each character's purpose in the story being told.
Reflection question:
As you constructed the character map, did you find out new information or come up with interesting new ideas to explore?
Discuss this as a class with your teacher.
READING AND REFLECTING ON CHARACTER
Choose one character that you found particularly compelling. (Your teacher might like to ensure that within your class you are covering all the characters in the play.) Research and explore that character using the information available to you in this pack, through ATC’s social media channels, newspaper articles or Youtube clips Auckland Theatre Company - YouTube.
If you’re looking at Irene, you might like to reference Diamond Langi’s Podcast Interview here: Diamond Langi opens up about her transition to theatre acting - Backstage Pass with Auckland Theatre Co | Acast
Build a character revision profile for the character you have chosen based around the following framework:
• Character name, age, physical attributes
• Purpose in the narrative being explored on stage
• Reflect on the type of language they used, were they speaking in Tongan or English? Were there aspects of poetry in how they spoke and how does this impact the way you understand the character?
• Describe a moment that was important to that characters story on stage
• Explain how the actor used techniques; voice, body, movement and space in that moment to bring the character to life
• Pull out quotes and important ideas from the education pack, including interviews
• Add ideas from your own research, including what you have been able to find in the media
• Add quotes from the performance that you feel are important to
this character, demonstrate motivation or tension or from moments that drove the story forward.
Extension activity: Share your character profile with the rest of the class. You may choose to cluster with other students who have done the same character and add information. You may also like to upload your profiles to a shared space for report writing or revision purposes.
NARRATIVE MAPPING
Split the class into groups, one for each character. On large pieces of craft paper create a timeline of key moments in the narrative that impact that character. (Note: not every moment has to be covered, only the important ones that move that character’s story forward.) For each of the moments plotted out on the timeline, add the following details and annotations:
• Is your character the focus of this moment or are they observing or focusing on another character?
• The tensions happening between characters in that moment.
• Important lines of dialogue, including annotations around subtext (what isn’t being said but conveyed?)
• How the actor was using techniques; voice, body, movement and space in that moment.
• Short paragraphs about how this moment impacts relationships and the story going forward.
• A sketch with annotations about what is happening physically on stage.
• Links to wider context; such as research, information from this pack or media articles.
Once complete, share your timelines with the rest of the class and discuss, adding more details. Save in a shared space so you can access the information when it comes to constructing your report or revising for your exam.
Design
Track the evolution of the set design by Sean Coyle.
Completed set, during a cast warmup
Set model
Set &Lighting Design Sean Coyle
Sean Coyle is the set and lighting designer for Red, White and Brass. Sean has worked with Anapela and Vela, the directors of Red, White and Brass, for a long time, including at P.I.P.A - Pacific Institute of Performing Arts.
For Red, White and Brass, Sean has based the set around modern Pāsifika homes and environments. The foundation of all the different ‘locations’ within the play are based on what Sean has called ‘an open playing field’. He wants his set elements to be able to move
quickly to make space for other environments and set pieces to be flown in and out efficiently.
With the use of colour and projection in the theatre’s cyclorama, Sean’s design will allow for a fast and dynamic production. Set pieces coming on/flying on and off will become part of the choreography. That will become an essential part of the ebb and flow of moving things, whilst tied in with sound design and choreography. This will have its own dynamics and be an entertaining yet complex element to the visual story-telling.
Models of the set design for Red, White and Brass
CHURCH ENVIRONMENT
A lot of scenes take place here. Other furniture can be brought in to become different parts of the church if needed.
VENI’S PLACE
Come in in two pieces, the porch and the actual wall of the house. This will also have all the Tongan flags on. They can be flown in or pushed on.
HOME ENVIRONMENT
Wall that is filled with pictures of kainga and Jesus and crosses. A very warm house with a table and chairs that can be worked with by the actors.
FINALE
Back to open space, using sound, light and projection to create that sports crowd atmosphere.
Costume Design Chrissy Vaega
When designing costumes for Red, White and Brass, designer
Chrissy Vaega starts by allocating a colour palette to each character to create the foundations of their “looks”: how they dress, and how their character’s personality is represented.
Chrissy worked closely with Sean Coyle, the Set & Costume Designer,
and they decided to allocate colours/looks to the costume that contrasts with the set's colours. They’re excited to create colour pops and show a lot of colour. But Chrissy is also looking to ensure the costumes don’t clash with the set.
Her intention is for each character to have a palette and specific look.
MAKA
Maka’s personality is very colourful and energetic, this is reflected in the specific colours Maka wears. Maka in the film wears overalls, so we’re taking this into the play with a more upbeat and vibrant base.
Chrissy has adapted Maka’s “Overall” look from the film, and has added more colour so that he really stands out on stage.
SAMISONI
The green represents that he is fresh from the islands. The patterns are suggestions for his tupenu.
AROHA
Her colours are very bold, representing her corporate and confident personality.
Music Direction and Sound Design
Spotify Playlist
The team behind the sound design, Joanna Mika Toloa (Music Director) ‘Aisea Latu (Assistant Music Director) and Matt Eller (Sound Designer) identified three key focuses for the sound of Red, White and Brass.
CHORUS
The show uses Hiva Tu’ungafsai and Hiva Usu to showcase traditional chorus tongan sounds.
BRASS BANDS AND BRASS MUSIC
Brass instruments will be a major musical element in the show, with most of the actors miming their brass instruments while the Maamaloa Brass Band plays live during the finale.
The cast were allocated instruments to practise with during rehearsal; they needed to familiarise themselves with the instruments so they looked real on stage.
For the finale, a live brass band plays to give the energy of Tongan pride and māfana.
URBAN TONGAN VIBE
URBAN TONGAN VIBE: The other sound that the audience will hear is upbeat modern Tongan music e.g. DJ Noiz & Three Houses Down. Urban Tongan communities have their own sound, reflecting a subsection of the Tongan diaspora.
Education Activities Designer's Choices
When we are thinking about the design or technological elements of a show, we need to explore how this supports the story being told, heightens atmosphere and tension or creates mood. This section will support you to explore the design choices made and what they communicate to the audience. Whether you are doing Level One or Levels Two/Three, you are encouraged to complete the activities in this section.
SKETCHING AND ANNOTATING COMPELLING TECHNOLOGY
The design choices in Red, White and Brass were highly symbolic and each designer has taken the director's concept and fleshed this out through design to bring the world to life on stage. Choose a technology that you found particularly compelling and construct a detailed sketch. Annotate the following:
• Choose one moment where this technology was used in a surprising or interesting way, describe that moment in detail.
• Explain why you found it compelling.
• Add in details from the education pack, referencing the designers notes.
• Research and add notes around any culturally significant components. Why were they important to the story, in particular this specific use of technology?
• Add details about how other technologies interacted with the one you are focussing on.
• Add quotes from characters that you think are significant.
EXPLORING CULTURAL ELEMENTS THROUGH DESIGN
The play examines māfana in the lives of the characters within the play. This is aptly reflected in all the design choices made by the director and designer. Read through the interviews from the designers and look at the imagery included in the pack. Create notes, sketches or collect imagery around the following ideas:
• Pull out quotes from the interviews that highlight cultural design elements and make notes about why this is important to the story being told.
• Sketch the design elements and annotate important details.
• Add notes about what this represents thematically or symbolically in the performance.
• Is there a clash between contemporary design and cultural elements in the design? What impact does this have from an audience point of view?
• What questions do you have? Where can you go to research the answer? Who can you ask or talk to?
THE BIG MOMENTS REPRESENTED THROUGH DESIGN
Fill in the table below for all the big moments of the performance, with an explicit focus on the way design and use of technology moved the story forward. Note: You could reference the timeline you made in the ‘character’ section of this pack for this activity and tie them together.
Your big moments may differ from what your peers/classmates choose to include. This table should reflect your individual understanding and experience of the performance as a member of the audience.
Moment Technologies used Small Sketch Cultural elements
Describe a big moment in detail.
Explain in detail what technologies were used. Draw a small sketch to remind you of the moment.
Notes about culturally significant elements of design. What did they represent or symbolise?
Notes from the Designer
Any relevant quotes from the designers' interviews.
Tonga on stage and screen
By Esther Leilua, ATC Teaching Artist
“In the middle of the world’s largest ocean - lies a special special place. 100,00 inhabitants, 170 islands and one king to rule them all. I’m talking the highest number of PHD’s per capita, the originators of the gold tooth and the home of the world’s greatest rugby players! Tonga - tu’u pea tau tue!”
- Maka, Red, White and Brass
Red White and Brass serves as not just a visual celebration of pride and māfana, but as a stake in the ground, solidifying Tonga’s stories and presence in the NZ performing arts landscape.
Indigenous peoples all over the world are the original storytellers. Across the entire Pacific, there is an oral tradition of passing down knowledge and whakapapa. For Māori, Tongans, Fijians and people across all the corners of the moana; values and important knowledge are held in conversations - some would even say that the art of performing is, in a way, its own version of communication and connection.
Here are just a few of the Tongan pioneers and supporters of Tongan stories that pioneered performative arts in NZ.
If we look at titles like Boy (2010), Sione’s Wedding (2006), No. 2 (2006), Moana (2016) - these are some of the common Pasifika films that reside in the collective consciousness of almost every Pacific household.
Here in Tāmaki Makaurau, our stages have been blessed with recent productions of Dawn Raids, Pring It On and I Love You, G, all plays with a Pāsifika kaupapa. While the Pāsifika Kaupapa Plays & Films List is a lot longer than just six titles - there is only a small number of titles that focus purely on Tonga, the Tongan people and loto'i (Tongan values).
It is this need for Tongan stories that makes Red, White and Brass, both the film and stage play, such a special story for the Tongan community. Even with the lack of story, it's essential to recognise those that have been filling that gap.
Toi Whakaari graduates Anapela Polataivao & Vela Manusaute, saw a need for a theatre company specifically dedicated to Pacific stories and voices. Along with other performing artists, the pair created Kila Kokonut Crew in 2002. The performing arts collective aimed to create art with a strong political and social focus that the rest of the world could not ignore. Another important collective is Pacific Underground, these collectives are
but two influential artists who have advanced Pacific storytelling on stage.
On screen, Tongan filmmaker Vea Mafile’o has been the driving force behind some recent Tongan stories being shown in Aotearoa and worldwide. For My Father’s Kingdom (2019) follows the church commitments of Mafile’o own Father, the feature-length doco was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. Just this year, her short film Lea Tupu’anga has gone to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
While there still is a gap for Tongan stories on screen, numerous names and kainga have forged forward regardless.
Education Activities Pacific Performance Practices and Traditions
In the new NCEA drama matrix there is a piece of significant learning that asks students to: “understand Aotearoa New Zealand as a Pacific nation, and that there are Pacific performance practices and traditions that have travelled here.” This section of the pack will support you to think deeply about how Red, White and Brass draws on a rich legacy of pacific theatre playwrights, directors and actors. It tells a unique story of traditions, preservation of traditional cultural values and how this can be out of step with modern ideas. Like work that has gone before, this play pulls on some of the same dramatic features that have enabled pacific artists to carve out space for their voice.
The play explores Tongan māfana. As a class look at the ideas listed below and think about how these features of performance were reflected in this play. To deepen your discussion you may want to think about other plays you have studied or seen that are based around pacific stories. How do they differ from Red, White and Brass? How is
your experience enriched by seeing different types of stories being brought to life on stage?
Split into groups and focus on a particular idea or performance feature, making notes in the way you express yourselves the best (voice notes, sketches, mood boards, writing) and be prepared to share back with the class. Your teacher may also choose to unpack different ideas with you.
• Social differences in language use and style - you will want to discuss and explore the use of language in the performance. What impact the use of Tongan language and subtitles had on your experience of the performance? Why did the playwrights structure the play this way? Think about the type of language and style of speaking each actor used and why that was important to the way the audience understood that character. The impact that big, impactful dialogue and poetry had on you as an audience member and on the story being told.
• Developing national identity, cultural identity and individual identity - you will want to think about how national, cultural and individual identity was developed by the characters in the performance and why that was important to the story being told? How does this impact you as a member of the audience? Why is it important to see stories that explore identity from different perspectives? How is the way national, cultural and individual identity represented in this play different to other plays of the same genre? Why is that important? You could explore the idea of Mana Moana - “all individuals are connected, just as all peoples are connected by the largest ocean in the world.”
(Working Together: Cultural Practice in the Theatre Space by Nathan Hoturoa Gray)
• The use of song and dance - Go through the performance and think about how cultural song and dance was used to enhance the story being told. How it contributed to your understanding of the characters and their purpose within the story being told. How this was enhanced by use of technology. The cultural significance of the songs and dance that were included. Research will be integral to your understanding. You might also consider pacific performance traditions interwoven or
highlighted by theatre trends in the western world when thinking about the use of song and dance.
There is a good conversation on Pacific stories being told on the ASB Waterfront Theatre stage in the “Sunday Forum” episode of ATC’s “Backstage Story” podcast.
• Place and time reflects a moment in history - you will want to discuss how a sense of place and time was constructed through the use of technology, characterisation and dialogue. How this relates to the world today and how it might have challenged the audience. You could include your own perspective as an audience member.
• Realism and how it has been manipulated or heightened to communicate a message - You will want to think about moments of realism throughout the performance and how they have been heightened or manipulated, for example, the use of poetry within the dialogue or the way the set was constructed to represent the world of the play, the use of lighting to create light and dark or enhance themes or the use of sound to heighten moments of tension and contrast. You will want to think about the drama components; techniques, elements, conventions and technologies and how these work in conjunction to communicate a message.
PACIFIC VALUES FRAMEWORK IN RED, WHITE AND BRASS
The Pacific Values Framework is drawn from the refresh of NCEA Level One. It is designed to be “inclusive and relevant to Pacific learners and contexts” and aims to “incorporate Pacific knowledge, languages, cultures, and identities as inherently valuable to teaching and learning.”
The five values are Alofa, Kuleana, Vaka, Vā and Fonua. For this activity your teacher will need to go through each of the values with you, using the information via this link: Pacific Values Framework – Delivering for Pacific Learners and Contexts | NCEA.
Activity: Using the descriptions of the five values from the NCEA website here: Pacific Values Framework – Delivering for Pacific Learners and Contexts | NCEA and how they might appear in the arts by looking at the Arts section via this link: Pacific Values Learning Area Guide. Discuss how these values could be applied or examples of how they appear in the performance of Red, White and Brass.
• For each value find an example of how this is expressed either in the rehearsal room or in the performance. You will want to draw from the interviews and information in the pack to flesh out your ideas.
• Think about the impact these examples have on you as a member of the audience. How has exploring these values helped to widen your world view or deepen your understanding of the world of the play?
• As a group choose one value to explore in depth and choose a sentence out of the definitions that could be your research topic. You could construct a performance, write a short essay or do a presentation about what you have learned.
REFERENCES
Pacific Values Framework –Delivering for Pacific Learners and Contexts | NCEA
03: Working Together: Cultural Practice in the Theatrespace | Playmarket
Education Activities Red, White and Brass and Level One NCEA
“Drama transforms the tangible into the intangible.”
This section of the education pack is designed to support Level One drama students navigate the new Level One external Achievement Standard 91943 - Respond to a drama performance. Unlike like the Level Two and Three external standards, which are an exam, you will be constructing a report, over a period of time in class and it will be based around three key aspects; • key message of the performance, the use of drama components and your own personal response to the performance, capturing the wairua (spirit) of what you watched.
This report can either be verbal or written, or a mixture of boththe main question you should ask yourself as a student is; how do I communicate my ideas, thoughts, and feelings about what I saw, the best? With that in mind, you are encouraged to collect your thoughts,
discussions and do your research in a range of formats. Such as; voice notes, sketches and annotations, brainstorms, moodboards, recorded physical responses and writing.
Below are three activities to support you to expand your ideas and support you during the teaching and learning phase of unpacking the performance.
KEY MESSAGE
In pairs, small groups or as a whole class, discuss and brainstorm the following prompts:
• What do you think the playwright was trying to say? Why this story? Why these characters? Why this period of time?
• What do you think the director was trying to communicate through the choices they made? How does this connect with what the playwright has written?
• What do the characters in the performance represent and what do they communicate to the audience?
• What do you think the designers are trying to communicate through their choices? How does this bring the playwright's ideas to life?
Once you have brainstormed around these questions, you could journal, voice note or record thoughts around the following questions:
• How do you identify the key message of a performance?
• Can there be multiple key messages?
• Think about your interpretation of the performance - what was the key message to you?
• What physical evidence from the performance connects to the key message? This could be a scene, a moment between characters, dialogue, a moment where the use of technology highlighted an idea.
• Describe these examples and sketch them in specific detail.
USE OF DRAMA COMPONENTS:
Drama components are techniques, elements, conventions and technologies. Make sure you have explored this language and terminology with your teacher.
Now that you have fleshed out what the key message might be, you need to connect it with the choices that the director, designers and actors have made and how they have used the drama components in combination.
Brainstorm in small groups, or in pairs:
• How an actor used drama techniques in a moment that communicated the key message
• How elements created a sense of mood, atmosphere or tension
• How conventions were used throughout the performance
• How technology enhanced the story being told
WAIRUA OF PERFORMANCE AND PERSONAL RESPONSE:
In the unpacking on the NCEA website for this standard, this aspect of the assessment is unpacked in detail. Your teacher will support you in understanding this and guide you to explore, research and develop your ideas. They will unpack ‘wairua of performance’ with you in a deeper manner than what is covered in this pack.
“The wairua of the performance is experienced as the intangible energetic and emotive qualities that carry the spirit and intention of the play. How the wairua is expressed by the performers provokes a response from the audience and allows them to reflect on the ideas and themes of the play based on their own life experiences and perspectives.”
- 1.4 - Unpacking
• What thoughts, ideas and feelings did the performers provoke in you?
• What have you reflected upon since watching the performance?
• What have you been thinking about (head) and feeling (heart) since?
• What did your gut/sense of intuition communicate to you as you watched the performance?
• What life experiences or perspectives do you bring? What connections did you make?
REFERENCES
Drama | NCEA
Level One External Specifications
Education Activities
Red,White
and Brass and Level Two and Three Revision Questions
If you are a Year 12 and 13 student who attended the production of Red, White and Brass you will likely have had your Live Performance exam in mind as you watched the performance. You are encouraged to look at the questions written for Year 11/Level One students in the previous section and the activities connected to Theatre Aotearoa. Having discussions around theatre’s ability to heal, educate, entertain and/or transform can deepen or widen your point of view. With this in mind, the questions below will support you to revise for your exam at the end of the year but will also enrich your thoughts, feelings and ideas about the performance of Red, White and Brass and may expand your own work that you develop in the classroom. You are encouraged to explore the questions both individually and with your peers.
Note: When answering the following question you will want to find and provide physical examples from the production. A physical example is when you describe, with specificity, what is happening on stage at the time. Get down to specific detail, for example, explaining how the actor/ performer is standing or moving, how far away from the audience they are, what is happening with technology, where exactly they are in space, etc. The more detail, the better!
DRAMA TECHNIQUES: BODY, VOICE, MOVEMENT AND SPACE:
• Describe how an actor, who you found interesting or compelling, used drama techniques in a specific moment in the performance.
• Describe how two actors used proximity during a moment of tension.
• Discuss how an actor uses drama techniques during a solo moment on stage. What were they aiming to communicate? What did you understand at that moment?
• Explain another actor’s use of drama techniques and how they created a sense of authenticity within the performance.
• Choose specific moments where you felt the actor used their body, voice, movement, and space in combination to create impact, focus, or to support an important idea.
• How did an actor use drama techniques to communicate subtext in their performance? Use a specific moment and example to discuss this use of subtext.
• Discuss what you found compelling about an actor’s use of drama techniques in the performance. Choose a specific moment to focus on.
CHARACTER:
• Discuss what the character communicated to the audience; how did the actor portray them? Plot their character arc and describe how he uses techniques to communicate this.
• Discuss the purpose of the characters :
• What impact do they have on the narrative, as well as the audience and actors' relationship?
• How does the actor's use of techniques communicate their purpose in the performance?
• Explore the idea of ensemble: what purpose does representing a family unit and outsiders encroaching on this family serve in the narrative?
DIRECTOR/DESIGNER CONCEPT:
• Discuss how technology or design was used during a climatic moment in the performance? What do you think was at stake within the scene?
• Discuss the purpose of the performance and how the themes or ideas link to what is happening in the world; socially, politically or historically. Link your ideas to specific moments or examples from the performance.
• How did the way the performance was realised impact the style of delivery of the narrative/story?
• How does the content of the play challenge and serve the audience?
• Discuss how the director brought the story to life using Drama Components - Elements, Conventions, Techniques and Technologies.
• How did the acting and staging choices affect you as an audience member?
• What was the impact of the way the design, directorial, and acting choices worked together? Choose a moment that surprised, shocked, or excited you to talk about.
• Discuss why the use of sound and lighting design was integral to this performance? Focus on the mood created by sound choices, use of colour and the shapes created by the angles or composition of lighting.
DRAMA CONVENTIONSSTRATEGIES ESTABLISHED TO MAKE MEANING AND CONNECT TO WIDER CONTEXT:
(NB - make sure you are familiar with what the established Drama Conventions are by discussing this with your teacher)
• Identify a moment in the performance where Drama Conventions were used to create focus, mood or atmosphere:
• Explain how the convention or combination of conventions were used in the performance
• Discuss the impact of the use of the convention or combination of conventions in this moment
• Discuss how meaning was created for you, as an audience member, in this moment
• Discuss how the use of a convention or combination of conventions in a specific moment helped you think about the big ideas and themes of the play.
• What was the wider context (socially, historically, politically or geographically) that this moment linked to?
White and Brass?
• How do these cultural elements, symbols or ideas link to the wider world of the play and what impact does this have on the audience?
• Were there moments where the content was confronting or forced you to think about something in a new light? What impact does this have on the audience and you as a member of the audience?
DRAMA ELEMENTS
AND HOW
THEY DRAW
OUR ATTENTION TO THEMES, MOTIFS AND SYMBOLS:
• What were the main themes, questions and ideas evident in the performance? Link these themes, questions and ideas to specific moments or examples from the performance.
• How were design and directorial elements (props, setting, AV, costuming, audience positioning and interaction) and the Drama Elements used to build the performance? How did this make you feel as a member of the audience?
• Identify recurring cultural elements, symbols or motifs throughout the performance. Explain why they were important in helping you understand ideas being communicated in Red,
TECHNOLOGY: LINK YOUR IDEAS TO SPECIFIC MOMENTS OR EXAMPLES IN THE PERFORMANCE.
Think about lighting, set, sound, props, costumes, make-up and how this helped bring you into the world of the play.
• How was technology used to create the atmosphere in the performance?
• How was technology used to highlight important ideas, themes and symbols in the performance?
• How was contrast and/or focus created or built through technology and why was this important?
• How did the use of technology help you gain a deeper understanding of the themes of Red, White and Brass?
• How did technology highlight māfana within the performance?
• Discuss why this was impactful, exciting or challenged your expectations.
• How were costumes used to communicate the characters' purpose in the performance?
IMPORTANT NOTE:
When you are writing about Set or Costume, you need to be specific about the following details and also sketch what you see. Imagine the person you are writing for has not seen the production and create a vivid image in their mind of what you saw:
• For example: Set/Props
• The size, shape and dimensions of any set pieces or props used
• The materials used, their textures and the colours
REFERENCE:
NZQA Level Two Exam Specifications
NZQA Level Three Exam Specifications
How was the play?
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A Tongan church group formed a marching band to get into a Rugby World Cup match
By Mike White, credit Stuff Limited
Originally published March 19, 2023
He was bad. The idea was crazy. But he pulled it off. As new movie Red, White and Brass is released, Mike White discovers the fantastic true story behind the film, and how a Tongan church group formed a marching band to get into a World Cup rugby match.
When it came to being naughty at church, Halaifonua (Nua) Finau was in a class of his own.
Running around, being smart, skipping services, he racked up any number of misdemeanours each Sunday – baptised but badass.
“He wasn’t a bit of a rascal,” says his mother, Valeti, “he was a rascal.”
“All the aunties and uncles said there has never been a kid as misbehaved as Nua,” remembers his older brother, Lupeti.
“But he was a cute kid, so he got away with so much.”
The brothers were part of the Tongan community attending Wellington’s Wesley Church, where their father, Tevita, was a minister.
In 2011, with the Rugby World Cup looming, Wellington’s council approached Tevita about finding prematch entertainment for the Tonga vs France match.
The church had a fledgling brass band, which accompanied the congregation during hymns.
They’d borrowed instruments from the Tawa Boys’ Brigade, and used a Tongan in town on a music scholarship to teach them absolute basics.
But somehow an idea emerged of creating a marching band that could play and parade before the big
match, which was just a couple of months away.
“I was amazed the thought even came up,” recalls Lupeti. “It was a crazy idea.”
But there was powerful motivation.
“It was free tickets,” says Nua. “We’d do anything.”
Getting to the match had been virtually impossible until then. A lucky few had succeeded in a ticket ballot, but even then, prices were hefty.
So when his father suggested Nua might like to reacquaint himself with the church, and be the new band’s drum major, Nua realised he’d been thrown a lifeline to see his beloved Tongan team play at the World Cup.
It wasn’t that simple, though.
“I went to the first practice, and I was like, ‘this sucks’.
“I was practising with a mop, and I thought, ‘this is really, really dumb’, and we were marching up and down the hall in literally straight lines.”
The music was terrible too, he reckoned.
“I was just like, ‘I can’t believe we’re going to go out and perform this in front of the world.’”
Nua had studied dance, and performed around the world, so gradually tried changing up the band’s routine, while styling his own moves with the drum major’s mace.
But what he possessed in natural skill, he lacked in commitment.
He skived off most practices.
At a crucial dress rehearsal, he simply didn't show up, leaving his parents and brother furious, and someone else to hastily fill his role.
There was a second dress rehearsal a few days before the big match.
Nua didn’t turn up to that one either.
“I was real bad. I was like, ‘I’m only doing the World Cup, and get my ticket – and then I’m out.’”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer boomed across Wellington’s regional stadium, “please welcome to the forefield today, Wesley Wellington Taulanga Ū Brass.”
And out of the tunnel marched the red and white band, Nua at the front, 30 band members in loose step behind him.
It was October 1, 2011 and the sporting world was watching as the band formed up on the halfway line.
When Nua turned to face them and command the band to get ready, he suddenly realised what it meant to everyone.
“I saw them crying, nervous, fear, excitement.
“And that’s when I realised how special it was to be Tongan.”
Staring back at him was his brother Lupeti, tuba in hand.
Trying his best not to wave back to their supporters in the crowd (they’d managed to get tickets for the whole church), Lupeti also struggled with the idea they were now in the hands of the family’s naughtiest member.
“Never in a million years did we think my mischievous younger brother would be in a position that so many would rely on him.
“And he ended up doing an awesome job – which caught us off guard too.”
What Nua led them through in the next six minutes was a medley of mace-twirling, dancing, and lungsapping renditions of everything from Joy to the World, to Pōkarekare
Ana.
It was fun, full of high-stepping and high jinks, brimful with what Tongans call māfana – passion, enthusiasm, go with your heart.
And what followed that, after the band slipped into their seats, was just as incredible, as Tonga upset France 19-14, in perhaps the country’s greatest sporting moment, cheered on by painted, flag-waving, heart-on-sleeve fans who’d fast become legends at the World Cup.
For Nua, it was one of the best days of his life – 100%.
“I think if you could pinpoint a moment that made it all right to be Tongan, it was that moment.”
Five years later, working in the film industry, Nua returned to the stadium, this time as a reluctant plus-one at the Edinburgh Tattoo show.
But he was blown away by the performers, including Tongan musicians, and immediately began concocting a story in his head about a Tongan rugby player in Scotland, who returns to New Zealand to form a brass band, which he then takes to Edinburgh.
When he ran it past friend Danny Mulheron, an actor, writer and
director, Mulheron asked where the idea came from.
Nua mentioned his own experience, and told Mulheron how his church played at the World Cup.
“And he was like, ‘Just tell the real story – that’s wild in itself.’”
After writing a script, Nua showed it to Piki Films (Jojo Rabbit, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) producer Morgan Waru, who leapt at the chance to put it on the big screen, along with executive producer Taika Waititi.
“You tell anybody about this story,” says Waru, “and they smile and want to see the movie.”
On Wellington’s waterfront, between Michel Tuffery’s kina sculpture, and an Elizabeth Knox quote about evening light in the Capital that’s inlaid into wooden steps, the first bars of Scribe’s Not Many rumble from a speaker.
“How many dudes you know roll like this/How many dudes you know flow like this/Not many, if any...”
And suddenly there are actors and a brass band moving and miming to it, big bass notes rolling seaward.
Coffee-clutching suits pause and stare at the energy and incongruity, kids dawdling between classes hang over bridge railings, and lunchtime joggers miss their step.
It’s late 2021, the fifth week of filming Red, White and Brass, and Nua is helping director Damon Fepulea’i choreograph a million moving parts into a movie retelling Nua’s 2011 World Cup story.
As the crew sets up for another
take, he wanders over to chat with lead actor John-Paul Foliaki who plays Maka, the character based on Nua.
The pair met a few years previously when Foliaki was auditioning for Nua’s TV miniseries, The Panthers.
Nua went to the kitchen for a drink and found Foliaki searching for the keys to his dad’s car that he’d borrowed – and now lost.
“And just in that interaction I knew straight away that this guy was Maka,” Nua remembers, “because I was like, ‘You’re a frickin’ klutz.’”
Foliaki says there are a lot of similarities between himself and Nua, both having a “black sheep personality” in their families, both being very determined to achieve their aims.
“And I know Nua wanted someone that had a deep understanding of what it means to be Tongan, and that love for Tonga.
“I really wanted to make sure I did the role justice, and make him and his family proud.”
Alongside a core ensemble of actors, many of Nua’s family and community have crucial roles in the movie.
His brother Lupeti plays a character based on several of their uncles.
And perhaps the most remarkable casting decision was getting his parents to play cine-versions of themselves, as Maka’s mother and father.
Nua says he resisted auditioning them for ages, but eventually sent his mum, Valeti, a script.
A few days later, sitting beside director Fepulea’i, Nua FaceTimed her and asked her to read it to them.
“And she was ironing my Dad’s church clothes or something, and she got really angry at me and growled me off in Tongan for being a stupid idiot and I should have given her warning so she could practise her lines, and bloody introducing her to the director when she was in her pyjamas.
“It was all in Tongan – Damon couldn’t understand a word.
“And I turned to her and said, ‘Oh, the director likes you, do you want to do the role?’ And she said, ‘I’ll only do it if your Dad does it.’
“My Dad didn’t even want to audition, but she just told him he was doing it.
“And the rest is history.”
Growing up in Tonga, Valeti says movies were things that people like Elvis Presley and Rock Hudson starred in – “not an ordinary Tongan from an ordinary family and ordinary upbringing. It was unbelievable, it was my wildest dreams coming true.”
Also hard to believe was her rascal son giving her directions during filming.
“I thought to myself, he gets away with things here he wouldn’t get away with at home – telling me
what to do, bossing his bossy mother around on set.”
But both she and Tevita say they’re incredibly proud of the movie Nua has helped make, and the window it opens onto Tongan life and “straight māfana”.
One of the joys of making Red, White and Brass was the chance for Nua to involve so many people who were part of the original story: his family; his church; the wider Wellington Tongan community; and the Taulanga Ū brass band which is still going strong. (Lupeti remains a member, along with his two sons. Nua only performed with the band that one time, “and then that was it”.)
When Nua first mentioned he was making a film about the band’s genesis, many thought it was bluff or bullshit.
Even Lupeti doubted it was real until funding for the movie was announced.
“It was amazing to hear that this guy who could never get anything right, or would always be causing havoc, had turned it into a film script.”
Another thrill for Nua was filming on home ground around Wellington and Porirua: Tawa where he grew up and played rugby; Waitangirua Mall where he used to go to the flea market and buy pies; Wellington College where he went to school; Tītahi Bay where he lived for years.
“The hood, the streets, the hills that raised me.”
Ever since that World Cup performance he’s regarded being Tongan as his superpower in achieving his goals.
“One of the things I say to myself in all my work is, ‘I want to make being Tongan mean.’ Because that’s what that performance did for me –it reminded me how mean it is to be Tongan.”
He’s already screened the film for Tonga’s Queen and Crown Princess, an event that left him strangely shy and speechless.
“Like, I’ve met Prince Harry, and Prince William, and Kate, and I didn’t really think that was that cool. It was way better, for me, meeting our queen.”
As the film reaches our screens this week, Nua says he hopes it brings smiles to everyone around the country, especially those who’ve been hard hit recently.
“I think the events of the last few weeks and months have reminded a lot of us Kiwis that our communities are pretty special and important parts, especially in times of need.”
