The Maori-Samoan art director advertising diversity
Photo:
Studio One — Toi Tū
"What we put on stage and screen matters."
This mantra forms the core of BEINGS.co, an online talent directory founded by Māori-Samoan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine) art director Leon Bristow.
Bristow's idea for BEINGS came while living in Spain, as he observed controversies in the creative industry over representation.
"There have been so many - Scarlett Johanson withdraws from roles after transgender backlash; Eddie Redmayne says starring in 'The Danish Girl' was a mistake; Taika Waititi's 'Time Bandits' under fire for lack of representation in cast."
Examples of industry setbacks, BEINGS.co
Photo:
Leon Bristow
He questioned the lag in representation in creative fields like advertising and recalled moments of frustration when working on sets, where he witnessed it first-hand.
"There have been comments that I don't always agree with (as an art director), because it is about profiling - racially profiling, stereotyping, pigeonholing.
"One time, we were casting for a queer couple, and we had people's thumbnails on the screen… some colleagues suggested we cast a person, because she 'looks queer'.
"I put my hand up and said, have we actually asked if they are queer? In these situations, you are taking opportunities away, income away, from these actual communities if we are giving it to a straight couple - and they don't know how to potray that identity authentically. So my next question was: shouldn't we ask that?"
Bristow's personal experiences and identity have shaped his commitment to authentic representation.
"People can find it complicated. You have to raise your hand, backtrack through the process. Sometimes the intentions aren't bad but the questions aren't being asked.
"I have certainly grown a shorter tolerance for this. I have learnt, as one of the few Māori/Pasifika in the industry, that I have a responsibility to my community to give back.
"Starting this project up really supports that, and provides a new platform in this space."
Bristow's directory received funding from Creative New Zealand.
BEINGS represents Aotearoa's People of Colour (POC), rainbow, and disabled talent in the advertising industry, "disrupting the existent status quo" and using voices that Bristow said have been historically sidelined, or misrepresented, in casting calls for advertisements.
BEINGS.co talent, part of the photography exhibition.
Photo:
Frances Carter, BEINGS photographer
"What we are doing is creating a kaupapa that centres BIPOC, rainbow, and disabled voices in a way that allows them to not just exist, but thrive - from casting, to collaboration, to exhibition," Bristow said.
"Our work is about creating futures where diversity isn't just an add-on, but a given."
At an Auckland Pride Festival Studio One - Toi Tū exhibition, BEINGS showcased some of the talent in its directory.
Executive director for Auckland Pride, Hāmiora Bailey (Ngāti Porou Ki Harataunga, Ngāti Huarere), said the photography exhibition is a vital intervention in Aotearoa's media landscape.
BEINGS talent
Photo:
Frances Carter, BEINGS photographer
BEINGS talent
Photo:
Frances Carter, BEINGS photographer
"At a time when systemic exclusion still defines many of New Zealand's screen, television, and theatre sectors, BEINGS challenges prevailing stereotypes and opens space for more genuine storytelling," he said.
Bailey added that disparities in representation remain stark.
A 2016 NZ On Air diversity report showed women made up 55 per cent of funded television producers, with 33 per cent directors, and 11 per cent had directed drama.
Asian producers represented only one per cent, despite making up 11.8 percent of the population.
Māori producers reached 23 percent in 2021, exceeding their population share, and Pacific producers were at 7.6 percent.
Initiatives like the New Zealand Film Commission and Māoriland Film Festival have supported this shift.
BEINGS founder Leon Bristow, alongside Fibre Fale co-founders Julia Arnott-Neenee and Eteroa Lafaele
Photo:
Studio One — Toi Tū
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"The findings from the 2025 inspection confirm that Te Pā o Rākaihautū continues to pose significant health and safety risks to its occupants. Despite partial repairs, the buildings remain cold, damp and in disrepair compromising the wellbeing of staff, students, and visitors." A 2025 draft ERO report says the buildings "need replacing". Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Additionally, successive reports done by the Education Review Office (ERO) in 2017, 2021 and 2025 all highlighted the need for a permanent site and new buildings. According to the most recent draft report by ERO, provided to RNZ by the school, securing a permanent site and building that "reflects the unique kaupapa of Te Pā o Rākaihautū" is "required". "The pā has operated out of a temporary site for 10 years that compromises the health and safety of pononga and hinders realising the strategic goals of whānau." 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The project is called "Puku Māra," which loosely translates to mean "digestive gardening", and focuses on Papatūānuku's (earth mother's) gut health. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Each day at school, all of the students, from year 1 to 13, receive two full meals. "We were able to install commercial kitchens straight away, and we feed our kids breakfast and lunch." Over the years, they have even built gardens and grown food themselves to supply the kitchen, something the students are actively involved with. Half of the back field is now gardens, alongside 30 hectares they are leasing in the red zone, near the school. With the first crop expected in the next season, Parata-Takurua said the initiative helps students reconnect with the whenua and understand composting processes. The school was recognised internationally, winning the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools East Asia and Pacific category. The land leased in the red zone was contaminated from previous housing, with old piping and waste underneath. Now, Te Pā has built up enough compost on the surface to start growing food on one hectare. Photo: Phil Tumataroa In May of 2023, a new site was identified near Te Waipapa, Diamond Harbour, at the base of Te Ahupātiki Eight hectares of ancestral whenua, the same location where the school's namesake, Ngāi Tahu ancestor Rākaihautū, buried his famous kō (digging tool). The new site would allow the school to return home. The land had been owned by the local council since 1913, and in 2024, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke went through the process of buying it, which was unanimously agreed to by the council. If the proposal is approved by the Ministry of Education, the school hopes to run a dual-site model, a city-site, and the Diamond Harbour site. Under the proposal, the hapū would lease the land back to the Ministry for Education. Members of Te Pae Whakatere, the Te Pā working group, and officials from the Ministry of Education visit the proposed site for the kura at Te Waipapa, Diamond Harbour on Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū. Photo: Phil Tumataroa But the school's leadership is not holding out hope, as out of the 10 options presented by the Ministry, Parata-Takurua said nine focused solely on fixing up the current buildings. "The current buildings being a temporary site that we never ever envisaged that would be the permanent home for our pā wananga. It completely ignored all the work we'd done on the site in Diamond Harbour." In a statement, Jerome Sheppard from the Ministry of Education acknowledged the concerns raised by Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We have been working with them to ensure that all students and staff have access to safe, warm and dry facilities. That is why we continue to work with Te Pā o Rākaihautū to finalise a scope that will allow for investment in the redevelopment of the existing site, which will include a mixture of new and existing buildings to support up to 350 students." Sheppard said that many schools throughout New Zealand operate from ageing building stock. "These buildings can and are being successfully maintained and upgraded to support learning, and we are confident we can achieve the same with the property for Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We continue to work closely with Te Pā, within the current fiscal environment, to make sure their provision reflects the importance of Kaupapa Māori Education," Sheppard said. Parata-Takurua said treatment of Te Pā feels like racism to her. "I've yet to be persuaded that it's something else." She said she feels there are "elements of ignorance and arrogance" from the ministry, leading to the dismissal of Māori-medium education's proven success. The Ministry of Education did not wish to respond to the school's comments regarding perceived racism, ignorance, or arrogance within the ministry when contacted by RNZ. "I'd like to invite people to come and spend a couple of days in our shoes and see what that 'privilege' looks like. That privilege looks like this. We're still in old broken buildings, and now we're being pushed down a path of 'accept this or it could be nothing." According to the Ministry of Education, Budget 25 allocated $544 million for growth (including roll growth, new schools, and learning support roll growth), of which $50m is earmarked for Māori Medium Education/Kaupapa Māori Education. Kura make up approximately 6 percent of schools nationwide. Parata-Takurua said it means only one or two kura might get lucky with new builds each year, while others must "scrape it out of wherever they can find some loose change". The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Kay-Lee Jones is a māmā of three children who attend or have attended Te Pā. She feels the whole situation is "inequitable". "All around Ōtautahi, especially post-earthquakes, we had all these very fancy schools being established here, there, and everywhere, and our kids see this, and it's disheartening." She said she worries about the well-being of the staff and students. "Our kids, they don't deserve this." The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Jones shares the example of her son Wi, who was around nine years old when discussions about the need for new school buildings first started. Now at 17 and about to graduate, he will never see any improved facilities. She worries the same might happen with her nine-year-old child as well. In 2013, the government announced the Christchurch School Rebuild (CSR) programme, with the aim to replace or repair 115 earthquake damaged schools in Christchurch over the following 10 years. As of March this year, 100 schools have been completed, 11 schools are under construction, and three schools are in the planning and design stages. As Te Pā o Rākaihautū was not established until 2014, its redevelopment or rebuild is not within the scope of the CSR programme, according to the Ministry of Education. Tahau said the health and safety challenges have been more than frustrating. "We already know what works. We're acknowledged for it, so get out of the way. "Get on the waka or get out of the way. Because, pono katoa mātou ki tō mātou kaupapa (We are all true to our cause)." Late last week, Parata-Takarua said the school had received another letter from the ministry, which reconfirmed the funding for the "redevelopment" of their current site in Linwood, instead of a custom build at a new site. Parata-Takurua said it was now left with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum and had engaged its lawyers. "For more than a decade, our children have been left in unsafe, cold, damp buildings while 100 other Christchurch schools were rebuilt around us. The ministry's legal responsibilities extend well beyond 'warm, safe and dry'." A spokesperson for Education Minister Erica Standford said she would not be commenting as it was an operational matter for the ministry. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
