Merata Mita (Maori) is the first Maori woman to direct a dramatic feature film, Mauri (1988). Her uncompromising films on Maori identity, including the feature-length documentaries Hotere (2003), Mana Waka (1990), and the controversial Patu! (1983), have been at the forefront of New Zealand's evolving recognition of its identity as a multicultural society. Mita has served as an advisor on Native programming at the Sundance Film Institute and has served as a juror at the Sundance Film Festival.