Whirimako is a New Zealand Māori recording artist, with White Lies (2013) marking her acting debut. She specialises in jazz, blues and traditional Māori musical forms. Having recorded eight solo albums, Whirimako sings primarily in Te Reo Māori and also uses traditional Māori instruments in her music. Through her collaboration with One Giant Leap producers Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman, Whirimako’s track Ta Moko featured on the One Giant Leap debut album alongside other world-renowned musicians and performers. In 2006, Whirimako was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Māori Music and in 2011 received an Arts Foundation Laureate Award.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
