News Summary

• Famed for directing the box office hit Once Were Warriors.
• Tamahori went on to forge a career in Hollywood and is regarded as among the most influential Maori figures in the entertainment industry.
• Actor Temuera Morrison, who played the film's central figure Jake, described him as a "classy and very clever director" He died peacefully at his home on Friday, according to a family statement.
• The film remains among the highest-grossing New Zealand movies and won international accolades.