Witarina Te Miriarangi Parewahaika Harris is one of New Zealand's national treasures. Born in 1906 and raised in Rotorua, New Zealand, she is the Kaumatua (elder) for the Maori films in the New Zealand Film Archive's collection, and is present at major screenings of the films. In 1928, she was selected to star in Universal Pictures' Maori folk drama The Devil's Pit, filmed on location in New Zealand. She has recently appeared in a new feature and in a television documentary. Mrs. Harris has dedicated much of her life to Maori and community activity.
The New Zealand Film Archive was established in 1981 to acquire, preserve and make permanently available for research a national collection of film and video materials. In addition to collecting and preserving New Zealand's film history, the Archive is committed to working as an archival resource for the South Pacific Region.
Note: The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco is currently presenting the exhibition Te Maori: Maori Art from the New Zealand Collections.

Maori Archival Films and Recent Documentaries
These fascinating ethnographic films from the 1920s depict a wealth of Maori activities ranging from rituals and artistic creation to the daily routines of fishing and cooking. Recent films include an ethnographic study of the role of the Kuia, or old woman, in the culture, and a documentary on the 1984 land-rights march at Waitangi.
Part I: Scenes of Maori Life on the Whanganui River: (Photographed by James McDonald, 1921, 42 mins, Silent); Scenes of Maori Life on the East Coast: (Photographed by James McDonald, 1923, 23 mins, Silent); Spirits and the Times Will Teach (Tangata Whenua: The People of the Land): (Directed by Barry Barclay, Produced by John O'Shea, Photographed by Keith Hawke, 1974, 46 mins, Color).

Part II: Scenes at the Rotorua Hui: (Photographed by James McDonald, 1920, 5 mins, Silent, 35mm); Tangi and Funeral of Te Rauparaha's Niece, Heeni Te Rei, Otaki, New Zealand: (Photographed by Charles F. Newham, 1921, 9-1/2 mins, Silent, 35mm); Journey Into Rua's Stronghold: (A film by Edwin Coubray, 1928, 4 mins, Silent, 35mm); Maori Battalion Returns: (Produced by the New Zealand National Film Unit, 1946, 11 mins, 35mm); Te Hikoi Ki Waitangi: (by Merata Mita, 1984, c. 50 mins, Color).