Peter Paka Paratene: Ask Me Anything

Rawiri Paratene opens Te Pou Tokomanawa Theatre with his swan song season of Peter Paka Paratene – Ask Me Anything; a musical, cheeky look through the round window into Rawiri Paratene’s extraordinary life and career.

In a performance career spanning nearly 50 years, Rawiri Paratene (aka Peter David Broughton ONZM…. aka Paka) has graced the worlds stages and screens in iconic performances such as Koro in Whale Rider and his world tour of Shakespeares Globe to Globe. After suffering a stroke in 2019 Paratene has decided to leave the worlds stage - but not before a final turn in the limelight.

In this intimate night, Rawiri shares his own poetry, songs and favourite classical works as he regales the audience with stories of the three distinct phases of his life; Peter, Paka and Paratene. From his youth during the urban shift from Hokianga to South Auckland, his early activism with Ngā Tamatoa, his often outrageous experiences in the heady rush of the coming of age of New Zealand performing arts and his later career that has taken him to perform in over 200 countries.

“..if you’re a fan of this taonga aka our “national treasure” then this is the perfect opportunity to get to know Rāwiri Paratene’s inner thoughts and his extremely cheeky nature in a marvellously intimate setting. Don’t miss it!” - Theatrescenes, 2017