Once in a while, a performer emerges who bears the burden of history upon their shoulders and turns it into art. That is exactly what Te Ao o Hinepehinga is doing. Born in Gisborne, New Zealand, in the Te Tairāwhiti region of Aotearoa, Te was raised in a household where politics, culture, and campaigns were subjects of conversation that didn’t just come up at the dinner table but as a complete meal. With a politician grandfather and seven siblings to raise as part of their whānau, Te arrived in this world with a plan.
Before even gracing a film set, she had been training in musical theatre at NASDA before striking a pose as an Australian showgirl and Latin dancer. But she was far from finished. Te wanted to do more than entertain – she wanted to create. When she featured in Black Hands back in 2020, she took flight as an actor, and she hasn’t looked back. With Head High through to starring in Breakwater, Te proved that she is more than an entertainer – she is a force to be reckoned with.
Becoming a Warrior Wife with Fire
Now, Te is entering into her largest role to date as she portrays Kupuohi, Native Hawaiian warrior Ka’iana’s wife, in Apple TV+’s Chief of War. And she didn’t come to play.
“Kekupuohi was an absolute badass,” Te told Where Is The Buzz. “It was so easy to be inspired by this Koa Wahine, this fierce warrior. Hawai‘i’s history is so rich and colourful, and being trusted to share it was a gift in itself. The whole experience felt like a revolution, a victory for our indigenous artists.”
You can hear how proud she is. To Te, it is less about performance and more about bloodline, legacy, passing on the torch of culture into the spotlight of the world.
Polynesian Love Story, Polynesian Brotherhood
One of their most-discussed topics of the Chief of War is Te and Jason Momoa’s chemistry. To viewers, it sounds genuine, solid, and deeply rooted to shared culture, and Te also concurs.
“It was easy to believe in his vision for this show, to uplift and inspire his people with their language and their history,” she said. “I share that vision. That made it natural to play into the companionship between Kupuohi and Ka‘iana’s love story. And honestly? Jason and Te Kohe Tuhaka are lovable idiots, every day filming with them was a laugh.”
That’s Polynesian synergy right there. No Hollywood tricks of the trade, just culture, connection, and a love story that breathes authenticity.
Politics, Pain, and The Power of Story
To have come from a politically engaged Māori family provided Te with something that can’t be learned in drama school, an understanding that story is resistance. That is a truth that exists in her performance of Kupuohi.
“These aren’t just characters,” she said. “These are real-life events, real families, real people. My upbringing gave me an understanding of why indigenous storytelling matters, but living through these moments on set was an entirely different lesson. I hope I did the people of Hawai‘i justice.”
That’s not just acting. That’s putting your soul on screen.
When Pele Herself Showed Up
Occasionally, the universe will remind you that what you’re creating is larger than you. For Te, that day arrived when shooting on Hawai’i Island.
“We relocated to film a battle scene, and Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 75 years. It was as if Pele herself had awoken to say, ‘This is my story, and I am here.’ Our ancestors were watching, guiding us, keeping us true.”
That’s not just production magic, that’s ceremony. That’s the land itself cosigning the work.
Building Bridges Towards a Next Generation
When she is not on set, Te is active planting seeds of tomorrow’s indigenous artists through ICAN, which stands for International Culture Art Network. At the same time, it provides free workshops in Hawai’i to equip artists before opportunity knocks.
“I think productions like Chief of War and Reservation Dogs show what’s possible when authenticity is at the heart of a show,” she said. “There’s always room to grow, but when respect for source material leads, only good things can come.”
It is time that Hollywood keeps the door ajar and lets more such narratives come in.
The Founding of Te Ao o Hinepehinga
Actor, weightlifter, gardener, advocate: Te does it all to a single end: to elevate indigenous voices. As the Chief of War, she is acting, yet co-authoring a chapter of history along with her Polynesian brothers.
“It’s been the honor of my life,” she said. “This isn’t just entertainment, it’s legacy.”
And so Te Ao o Hinepehinga is cementing herself as one of the most important new voices from world storytelling.
