Rangimoana Taylor

Rangimoana Taylor was born in Wellington the son of Reremoana Taylor nee Shelford of Ngāti Porou and journalist father Melvin Taylor who worked in the diplomatic service. He was educated at Onslow College and from 1974-75 attended the New Zealand Drama School. He has represented New Zealand at South Pacific Festivals. From 1982-1986 he established Te Ohu Whakaari, a Māori perfuming theatre company. In 1986 Taylor won a scholarship to the US and went to New York and Los Angeles to study the development of acting; this reconfirmed teaching methods being employed in New Zealand. In 1987 he won a scholarship from the Hawaiian State Council of Heritage and in 1989 he attended the Adelaide International Conference where he spoke on government policy and education in dealing with ethnic peoples. He was a part-time tutor at the National Drama School in 1992 and has taught biculturalism, health and nutrition in schools. Taylor received a Diploma in Health and Nutrition through ICS, has a Diploma in Māori Studies from Victoria University and a Diploma in Drama from Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School. His main contribution is as a director and teacher in the performing arts. He was invited to be a story teller in the National American Story telling Conference in 1997 at Jonesborough, Tennessee, and in 1998 was invited to attend a gathering of story tellers in Brazil. In 1999 he planned to go the University of Wisconsin in Milwauki as a guest lecturer, story teller and director. He is currently teachin at Toi Whakaari (NZ Drama School), and does guest lecturing at Taki Timu Performing Arts School in Hastings. He has been invited to lecture and help with forming productions at the University of the Incarnate Word in Texas. Along with theatre work, Taylor has been an actor, director and adviser on television and film work. His non-fiction writing focuses on Māori education. He has also written children’s stories for broadcast in the 1970s and has written for Schools Broadcasting on Radio.

Biographical sources

• Phone interviews with Rangimoana Taylor on 1 Sept. 1992 and in 1998.