Tanya Muagututi'a is a New Zealand playwright and arts festival director.

Biography

Muagututi'a's father, Muagututi'a Pulusila Meafou Sagapolutele, was Samoan and moved to New Zealand in the early 1950s, aged 11, to attend school. She co-founded

Pacific Underground Pacific Underground is a New Zealand performing arts collective, founded in 1993 in Christchurch, New Zealand, to produce contemporary performing art that reflects the group's Pacific Island heritage. In 2016 they received a Lifetime Achievement ...

, a performing arts organisation for Pacific artists, in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in 1993. In 2020, Muagututi'a won Best Play by Pasifika Playwright at the Adam New Zealand Play Awards for her script ''Scholars,'' which is based on her father's experiences as a Samoan scholarship student in New Zealand''.''

Recognition

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Muagututi'a was made a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to Pacific performing arts.

Personal life

Muagututi'a is married to Posenai Mavaega, who co-founded Pacific Underground with her.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand people of Samoan descent New Zealand women writers New Zealand dramatists and playwrights Writers from Christchurch {{NewZealand-writer-stub