Owen is best known for her leading role as Beth Heke in Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors and as Taun We in George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

[2] She regularly performed in local Māori culture groups and in dramas and musicals while in high school.

[4] Highlights include Voices From Prison for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Co-Existences for the Elephant Theatre and Outside in for Theater New Zealand, which debuted at the Edinburgh Festival.

Owen wrote and starred in Te Awa i Tahuti (The River That Ran Away), which had a successful London tour and was later published by NZ Playmarket in 1991.

Owen wrote and starred in Daddy's Girl,[5] while also playing reoccurring roles in two TV series; Betty's Bunch & Shark in the Park.

[13] In 2011, as part of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Owen took park in a televised concert called Mika's Aroha Mardi Gras.

[23][24][25] She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her recurring role as Mere Hahunga in the award-winning Australian TV series, East West 101, at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts,[26] and nominated for Best Actress at the Montecarlo International Television Festival.