Debra Rewiti was born in Wellington and was educated in Tauranga and at Selwyn College, Auckland. She worked for the Auckland Star from 1980-84 and initiated a column called Ana Paepae. She worked for TVNZ’s Māori Magazine programme "KOHA" for two years, then produced a series of independent health videos for Waiora Productions. In 1986 Reweti returned to TVNZ’s Māori Department. She subsequently worked as chief reporter in Te Karere, and was a news producer on One Network News. She then worked in freelance journalism and consultancy for radio and television, and became one of the directors of Te Ara Productions, a Māori women’s production company which produced work for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and a TVNZ consumer series for Māori women. Reweti has written work for the radio programme Ears, including two six-part series entitled "Letters from Singapore" and "Kids in My Class". She has written comedy and drama scripts and a half hour TVNZ drama called Koro’s Hat in 1992. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she was a feature writer. In 1995 she won the first Te Waka Toi Award for a previously unpublished writer. She continues to write and raise her three sons.
Biographical sources
- Phone conversation and correspondence with Debra Reweti, 6 and 15 Sept. 1998.
- Huia Short Stories 1995. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 1995. 135.
- Bidois, Eliza. “Four new voices.” Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 6 (July-Sept. 1994): 56-58.
Mana 6 (1994): 57.
Fiction
- "The Empty Page." Huia Short Stories 1995. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 1995. 29-35.
- The reflections of Tania as she contemplates the process of writing. This story is Reweti’s first published piece of fiction and it was a finalist in the Huia Publishers Māori Writers short story competitions of 1995.
- "Letter To An Uncle." Huia Short Stories 3. Wellington, N.Z.: Huia, 1999. 171-172.
Non-fiction
- "Tu Tangata Finding Its Feet Says Race Conciliator." Tu Tangata 14 (Oct./Nov. 1983): 4-5.
- Reweti talks with Hiwi Tauroa - Race Relations Conciliator.
- "Taura Eruera - Putting The Fire Back In The Belly." Tu Tangata 14 (Oct/Nov 1983): 12-13.
- Biographical article on Eruera in which he articulates his road from academia to opening a School of Creative Musicianship in Grey Lynn.
- "Polynesian Women in Television." Broadsheet 133 (Oct. 1985): 12-15.
- Reweti talks with Jan Wharekawa, Fran Davy, Mona Papali’i, Aroha Mead, Aroaro Hond and Wena Harawira on their experiences working within the predominantly white, male environment of TVNZ as Polynesian women.
- "Māori Architect Astounds." Tu Tangata 23 (Apr/May 1985): 2-4.
- Reweti presents a profile on Māori architect Rewi Thompson and notes his concept of ‘humanistic’ architecture which is demonstrated in his prize-winning design for a Māori state house.
- "Fishing Up The Future." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 2 (Apr./May 1993): 19.
- Reweti writes about Moana Pacific Fisheries Limited.
- "A Supa Māori Fulla." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 3 (Aug./Sept. 1993): 19.
- A profile of Māori comdeian Pio Terei.
- "Papa Ruru And His Blood." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 3 (Aug./Sept. 1993): 20-21.
- An account of Hori Bennett and the Ruru Club which has developed from his weekly programme on Aotearoa Radio as Papa Ruru.
- "A Voice From The New Wave." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 4 (Nov./Dec. 1993): 30.
- A profile on singer/songwriter Hinewehi Mohi.
- "Absolutely Positively Māori." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 4 (Nov./Dec. 1993): 31-35.
- Reweti discusses the history of Mai FM radio station with Taura Eruera.
Other
- "Debbie Rewhiti [sic] talked to Donna Awatere and Merata Mita about the impact of Māori Sovereignty." Broadsheet 124 (Nov. 1984): 12-15. Rpt. in Broadsheet: Twenty Year of Broadsheet Magazine. Comp. and introd. Pat Rosier. Auckland, N.Z.: New Women’s Press, 1992. 45-47.
- In this interview Donna Awatere and Merata Mita talk of the effects of Awatere’s "Māori Sovereignty" articles on Pakeha and Māori, and Awatere discusses her reasons for writing the articles.
Performing Arts
- Koro’s Hat. Television New Zealand, Mar. 1995.
- The play tells the story of the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter. Through the granddaughter’s eyes, we share their memories, frustrations and love from her birth to his tangi. Reweti wrote the story in 1984 and ‘at Don Selwyn’s insistence, stretched, pulled and pummelled it into an hour-long drama.’ This play was produced for Television New Zealand and broadcast on TV One in March 1995. [Ref. Mana 6 (1994): 57.]
Other
- Bidois, Eliza. "Four new voices." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 6 (July-Sept. 1994): 56-58.
- Bidois, Eliza. "Four new voices." Mana: The Māori News Magazine for All New Zealanders 6 (July-Sept. 1994): 56-58.