Profile
Pronoun
She/Her
Ethnicity
Māori
Iwi
Te Arawa, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāpuhi
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Height
164 cm
Age Range
24–37
Career Highlights
Michaela is a Māori creative hailing from Ngāti Whakaue (Te Arawa), Ngāti Manawa, and Ngāpuhi and graduated from Actors Program after completing studies at South Seas Film and Television School. She has featured in "The Brokenwood Mysteries" as well as making her theatre debut in "Nora: A Doll’s House" directed by Kitan Petovski. She has starred in short films "Think Tank" and "Te Wairua." Michaela's acting endeavours also include co-writing the short film "Tō te wai," which received funding from Someday Stories. Recently, Michaela could be seen in ATC’s 2023 "Things That Matter" and 2024’s "Red, White and Brass." With on her screen credits being bilingual NZ domestic project, "End of the Valley", and comedy series, "Only in Aotearoa."
Awards.
| 2021 | Ahikāroa | ||
Short Film.
| 2022 | I Hate This Dance | Her Lead | Avis Panthera Dir. Leo Allan & Michaela Bird |
| 2022 | Think Tank | Zoe | Actors Program Dir. Caroline Bell-Booth |
| 2022 | What A View | Kay Lead | Avis Panthera Dir. Leo Allan |
| 2021 | Renters | Paris Lead | South Seas Film & TV Dir. Ruth Dudding |
| 2021 | Unwind | Sachi Core | South Seas Film & TV Dir. Everett Marston |
| 2020 | Anywhere But Here | Nikki (Lead) | South Seas Film & TV Dir. Luca Dombroski |
| 2020 | Fly Trap | Layla (Lead) | South Seas Film & TV Dir. Mitchell Murphy-Reid |
| 2020 | Te Wairua | Manaia (Lead) | South Seas Film & TV Dir. Lainey Bishop |
Television.
| 2024 | Only In Aotearoa | Mereana (Mama 3) | Kura Productions Dir. Maruia Jensen |
| 2023 | End of the Valley | Maika (Supporting) | Dir. Various |
| 2022 | Brokenwood Mysteries | Donna Guest | South Pacific Pictures Dir. Caroline Bell-Booth |
Theatre.
| 2024 | Red White and Brass | Aroha | Auckland Theatre Company Dir. Anapela Polataivao |
| 2023 | Things That Matter | April | Auckland Theatre Company Dir. Anapela Polataivao |
| 2022 | Nora: A Doll's House | Christine | Dir. Kitan Petkovski |
| 2022 | Table Read: The Miracle That Is Larry Rice | Jordan | Dir. Ian Hughes |
| 2022 | The Wheel | Beatriz (Lead ) | Dir. Benjamin Henson |
Voice.
| 2020 | Limbo Animation | Pogo (Core) | Auckland University of Technology |
Training.
| Actors Program - One Year Intensive Practical Workshop - 2022 | |||
| David Van Horn - Self Tape Workshop - 2022 | |||
| Gavin McGibbon - Script to Screen - 2022 | |||
| Jennifer Ward-Lealand - Intimacy Workshop - 2022 | |||
| Kacie Steton - Screen Acting Technique - 2022 | |||
| Miranda Harcourt - Screen Acting - 2022 | |||
| Jacque Drew - American Accent - 2021 | |||
| Andrea Kelland & Vicky Yiannoutsos - Workshop for film, TV & auditioning - 2020 | |||
| Erroll Shand 1-on-1 Audition Workshops - 2020 | |||
| South Seas Film & Television - Diploma on Screen Acting - 2020 |