X-Nico

3 unusual facts about Once Were Warriors


Māori people

Once Were Warriors, a 1994 film adapted from a 1990 novel of the same name by Alan Duff, brought the plight of some urban Māori to a wide audience.

Taonga pūoro

They were used in the musical sound tracks of films such as Once Were Warriors and award winning, Whale Rider and are becoming more widely used in television and film music to produce authentic natural sounds rather than artificially generated sounds.

The Spelling Mistakes

It is purported to be inspired by actress Rena Owen of Once Were Warriors fame, who was involved in the punk scene at the time.



see also

Alan Duff

In 2003 Once Were Warriors was brought to the stage across New Zealand as a musical drama.