New years honours: Rawiri Paratene
Rawiri Paratene has been appointed an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Mr Paratene, an actor famous for playing Koro in the 2002 film Whale Rider, worked this year as executive producer and lead in The Maori Troilus and Cressida, a Te Reo Shakespeare production for the Globe Theatre in London.
Mr Paratene is one of New Zealand's most well-known entertainers with a career spanning four decades.
He has campaigned for the Green Party alongside his daughter, Marama Davidson, who has worked for the Human Rights Commission.
Mr Paratene has received New Zealand Film and Television awards for script writing and acting. He also served as deputy chairman of the New Zealand Film Commission for four years.
