As He Ingoa opens tonight at the Kia Mau Festival, 23-year-old Raureti Ormond steps boldly into the spotlight with a musical ritual that reclaims space, identity, and takatāpui truth. Oliver Hall meets the rising star behind a name reborn.
At just 23, Raureti Ormond is already carving his place as one of Aotearoa’s most fearless and multifaceted storytellers. The Taupō-raised playwright and performer—of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tahu, and Ngāti Whaoa descent—brings his debut musical He Ingoa to the stage tonight at Circa Theatre as part of the 2025 Kia Mau Festival.
Described as a “musical ritual,” He Ingoa is part of Kia Mau’s He Toi Hou programme, spotlighting new works from emerging Māori and Indigenous voices. But more than a festival offering, the work feels like a cultural reckoning—an unapologetically takatāpui story that reclaims language and identity through oratory, waiata and ceremony.
“Most interactions I’ve had in my life, people have presented me with a name that doesn’t accurately reflect who I am,” Ormond says. “How has that shaped the way I see myself? That was the big question that sparked He Ingoa.”
That provocation fuels a work that is at once deeply personal and expansively political. At its core is a waiata about deadnames—a love letter, Ormond says, “to all of my takatāpui, trans and non-binary whānau who have been brave enough to forge a new name for themselves—one that reflects who they are.”
While the show traverses discomfort and mamae, it refuses to dwell in grief. Ormond’s creative practice is grounded in duality—blending gravitas with glitter, vulnerability with joy. As a founding member of The Tīwhas, a Māori drag collective known for exuberant, culturally anchored performances, Ormond is also known by his dazzling alter ego, Pania, who shone in The Tīwhas: A Matariki Spectacular in 2024.
“I love the glitz and glamour of the Tīwha lifestyle—being loud, joyous and colourful. But I also love the power of stillness,” he reflects. “Musical theatre allows me to feel the full spectrum of joy and vulnerability. Music can shake both our heinies and our spirit.”
Genre-bending is just one part of Ormond’s magic. His work embodies a spiritual negotiation between te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, an intersection navigated through his takatāpui lens. “My identity has gifted me the ability to weave between worlds,” he says. That sensibility radiates throughout He Ingoa, where threads of whakapapa, reclamation and belonging intertwine with sweeping melody and storytelling that feels both intimate and ancestral.
And for Ormond, the language of music has always come more naturally than words. “I really struggle with recalling words and they often feel like I’m grasping at straws,” he admits. “But when I sing in te reo Māori, I can remember the tones and vibrations of my mother tongue. It pours out of me naturally.”
Artistry is in his blood. Raised by his mother Eve, a celebrated photographer, Ormond speaks of her with deep admiration. “Her artistic sensibility lies in capturing beauty in the truth. Her images possess such soul and story. I aspire to be like her in every way.”
His creative influences range from global pop culture to local legends. “I’m very inspired by my Tīwha sisters. Dame Jthan has taught me how to be audacious and hard-working, Slay West teaches me the value in joy and authenticity, and Tina Coco Couture reminds me to be proud and grounded in my culture.” He also credits Lady Gaga and the Glee cast—unironically—with shaping his early love of performance.
Growing up as a takatāpui teen in small-town Taupō wasn’t always easy. But glimmers of affirmation left a lasting mark. “I performed in drag once in front of my high school, and Miss Sangster told me I was made for stages bigger than our school hall. I’ve carried that with me ever since.”
Today, the pull of home still grounds him. “My artistry is constantly fuelled by Whanganui and Waihāhā Bay, the waters I belong to,” he says. “I like to create music and stories forged from all of the colours and sounds you can find at the bays.”
When asked what he’d say to takatāpui rangatahi learning to walk in their names, Ormond responds without hesitation:
“Your name is sacred. Your name is a taonga. Your name is a waiata.”
As He Ingoa opens tonight, Ormond’s voice echoes far beyond the walls of Circa Theatre. Whether sequinned as Pania or crafting waiata from ancestral memory, he stands as a generational talent—shaping the future of queer Māori storytelling, one sacred syllable at a time.
🎟️ He Ingoa runs at Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street, Wellington, on 30 & 31 May 2025. Tickets are priced between $10 and $25. Book now via circa.co.nz or kiamaufestival.org.
🎭 Follow Raureti on Instagram @raureti.ormond for updates on upcoming performances and creative projects.
