Maaka Pohatu

Maaka Pohatu is a beloved and celebrated actor who made his screen debut in 2012 in Two Little Boys, directed by Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Pike River), alongside Bret McKenzie and Hamish Blake.

Maaka is best known for his role as Sergeant Maaka in all four seasons of the What We Do in the Shadows spin-off series Wellington Paranormal, created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. His extensive local and international screen credits include Far North, directed by David White, alongside Robyn Malcolm and Temuera Morrison; Miles from Nowhere; Our Flag Means Death Season 2; Time Bandits; and James Ashcroft’s The Rule of Jenny Pen, starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. His more recent screen work includes the New Zealand series Happiness, Warren’s Vortex, and Tangata Pai.

Maaka has performed in a wide range of theatrical productions, most recently playing Macduff in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth. His theatre credits also include the critically acclaimed Strange Resting Places and The Māori Troilus and Cressida, which was performed at the prestigious Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, as well as A Slightly Isolated Dog’s acclaimed reimagining of Molière’s Don Juan.

He is also a professional musician and a member of the Modern Māori Quartet. A graduate of New Zealand’s leading drama school, Toi Whakaari, Maaka has advanced skills in martial arts, guitar, and singing, and is fluent in Te Reo Māori.

See him perform with Auckland Philharmonia at Barfoot & Thompson presents Back to the 80s.