Born in Gisborne, New Zealand in the Te Tairāwhiti region of Aotearoa, Te has seven siblings and speaks Maori and French! She was raised in a political family by her politician grandfather and worked in the indigenous space as an indigenous social activist her whole life. Before diving into acting, Te was a former dancer, training in Music theatre and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Art, Music Theatre from the National Academy of Signing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA).. Straight out of university, she showed off her skills working as a Latin dancer and showgirl in Australia.
With her love of performing, Te decided to ultimately step away from her family’s business and pursue her career as an actor full time. She made her television debut in a guest star role as Gina in the miniseries Black Hands (2020). After quickly gaining recognition, she landed a series regular role in the popular Drama series Head High (2020-2021), and most recently can be seen playing the lead role as Mai in the Drama series Breakwater (2022).
When she isn’t acting, Te enjoys yoga, weightlifting, running, swimming, cooking, baking, gardening and reading. Passionate about the indigenous culture and native land restoration and protection, she works with organizations protesting the government and is a founding member of ICAN (International Culture Art Network), who run workshops in Hawaii free of charge to help artists gain skill sets needed for when entertainment opportunities arise.
Te Ao o Hinepehinga now stars in the Apple TV+ Drama series Chief of War, alongside Jason Momoa playing his wife ‘Kupuohi’. Shot in Hawaii, the cast includes Jason Momoa, Luciane Buchanan, and Cliff Curtis to name a few. The thrilling adventure is about an unprecedented telling of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands from an indigenous perspective at the turn of the 18th century. The series follows a Native Hawaiian warrior who joins a bloody campaign to unite the warring islands in order to save them from the threat of colonization (based on the true story of Ka’iana).
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