Larry Parr, Ngāti Hikitanga, Ngāti Raukawa me Muaūpoko
A significant figure in New Zealand screen industry, Larry Parr has been making local film and television stories for over 30 years.
Larry had a hand in producing some of New Zealand’s most iconic feature films including SLEEPING DOGS, SMASH PALACE and CAME A HOT FRIDAY. For a period in the mid-1980s he was one of the most prolific producers New Zealand had seen, with a roster that ranged from CONSTANCE through to teen movie QUEEN CITY ROCKER, and mood piece STARLIGHT HOTEL. Parr has also been a scriptwriter, a feature film director (FRACTURE, A SOLDERS TALE) and a TV executive – helping bring landmark Maori anthology series E TIPU E REA to the screen.
In 1992 Parr was appointed director of production for Television New Zealand at Avalon. He remained there 12 months, before resuming his producing career with a series of low budget films made through his new company Kahukura Productions. One of the first Kahukura titles to emerge was Vanessa Alexander’s quirky MAGIK AND ROSE.
In 2005 a new phase began for Parr with his appointment as head of programming at the newly formed Māori Television. A milestone during this time was the award-winning 2006 ANZAC DAY, which many believe helped secure the place of Maori Television in the New Zealand broadcasting landscape.
Larry is currently Manager of the Television Funding Portfolio at Te Māngai Pāho, the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency.
