Maiava Nathaniel Lees (born 1952) is a New Zealand theatre actor and director and film actor of Samoan descent, best known for film roles in The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and for starring in Young Hercules as Chiron the centaur.
Early television appearances in New Zealand included a regular role in the 1989 series Shark in the Park.
[3] Lees was the director of the award winning play Think of a Garden written by John Kneubuhl, performed at the Watershed Theatre in 1993 in Auckland[2] and then again in 1995 produced by Cath Cardiff and performed at Taki Rua Theatre in Wellington 1995.
In 1996, he directed A Frigate Bird Sings co-written by Oscar Kightley and Dave Fane and produced by Makerita Urale for the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts.
[6] The company featuring a cast of accomplished artists such as Tusi Tamasese, Semu Filipo, Fiona Collins, Tupua Tigafua, Taofi Mose-Nehemia and emerging artists, Albert Latailakepa, Maurea Perez-Varea, Brett Taefu, Jake Arona, Villa Junior, Lanakila Opetaia-Tiatia.