Albert Alexander Amahou Belz (born 1973) is a New Zealand actor, writer and lecturer. Belz was born in

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...

. He is

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, of

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand ...

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

and Ngāti Pokai descent. He lived in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

from the age of 12, then in Hamilton and Wellington. In 2012 he moved to Australia, before returning to New Zealand several years later. In 2020 he completed a master's degree in creative writing at

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

. His master's thesis was titled ''Scratch the Cat''.

Acting career

As an actor Belz has appeared in: * ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

'' (1995), * ''

Young Hercules ''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' the originally aired on Fox Kids Network. It premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on May 14, 1999, with a total of 50 episodes over the cou ...

'' (1998) * ''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

'' (1992) * ''

Rip Girls ''Rip Girls'' is a 2000 family drama Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), directed by Joyce Chopra and starring Camilla Belle as a teenage girl named Sydney. The film's plot follows Sydney, her father and his wife, stepmom Elizabeth, who come to a ...

'' (2000)

Writing

A professional writer for television, film and theatre since 2001, Belz has written: * ''Te Maunga'', a script for theatre, first performed in 2001 * ''Awhi Tapu'', 2006, nominated for

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards. Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, ...

. ''Awhi Tapu'' was also televised as a feature-length episode in the six-part series ''Atamira''. It aired on Māori TV on 29 April 2012, and starred Matariki Whatarau, Tola Newbery, Kura Forrester, and James Tito. * ''Yours Truly'', 2006, which won Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Best New New Zealand Play and Most Original Play, and the

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

for Best Emerging New Zealand Playwright * ''Te Karakia,'' 2008 Wellington International Festival of the Arts * ''Raising the Titanics'', which won The New Zealand Listeners Best New New Zealand Play 2010 * ''Cradle Song'', which won The Adam NZ Play Award for Best Play by a Māori Playwright 2018 * ''Maui Magic'', a children's play * ''Astroman'', simultaneously produced in 2018 by the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

(directed by Sarah Goodes) and Court Theatre, Christchurch (directed by Nancy Brunning) * ''Tongue Tied'', a television comedy series on Maori Television Belz is a lecturer in performing arts and writing at

Manukau Institute of Technology Established in 1970, Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) ( mi, Te Whare Takiura o Manukau) is a large Category One institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Category One is the highest possible educational rating as evaluated by the ...

. He has held writing residencies in

Le Quesnoy Le Quesnoy (; pcd, L' Kénoé) is a commune and small town in the east of the Nord department of northern France. It was part of the historical province of French Hainaut. It had a keynote industry in shoemaking before the late 1940s, followed ...

, France, the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, and the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

. He was awarded the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

for 2022.

References

New Zealand screenwriters Male screenwriters 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 1973 births New Zealand male actors Living people People from Whakatāne New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century screenwriters Auckland University of Technology alumni New Zealand Māori actors New Zealand Māori writers Ngāti Porou people Ngāpuhi people {{NewZealand-film-bio-stub