Makerita Urale

Vaosa ole Tagaloa Makerita Urale MNZM is a documentary director and playwright, and a leading figure in contemporary Polynesian theatre in New Zealand.

In theatre, Urale was the producer of a number of major productions for the bi-annual New Zealand International Festival of the Arts in Wellington.

She was producer of A Frigate Bird Sings (1996) directed by Nathaniel Lees and co-written by Oscar Kightley and Dave Fane, staged at Downstage Theatre.

[15] Other productions include Ricordi (1996) at the State Opera House, written by Peter Wells and directed by Colin McColl, Beauty and the Beast (1998) staged at St James Theatre, and the Samoan operatic work Classical Polynesia (1998) directed by Iosefa Enari and starring Jonathan Lemalu.

In 2007, she was the event producer of the opening festival of Tagata o le Moana, the permanent Pacific exhibition at National Museum of New Zealand, which brought together performers and artists around the country.

The documentary featured interviews with Māori activists Tame Iti, Māori Party Member of Parliament Hone Harawira and his wife, former NZ Green Party MP Sue Bradford, musician and Polynesian Panthers Minister of Culture Tigilau Ness, anti-apartheid leader John Minto.

[22] Other works include freelancing for the television arts series The Living Room,[22]The Gravy, a short experimental documentary The Other Day in Paradise as well as directing an AV installation in the permanent Pacific exhibition at the National Museum of New Zealand.

Urale has produced numerous music videos including Reverse Resistance, Groovilation, Ko Wai Ka Hua and the underwater Sub-Cranium Feeling for King Kapisi, directed by her sister Sima.