Katie Wolfe

Katie Wolfe (born 1968) is an actor, film and stage director from New Zealand. She appeared in television series including Marlin Bay (1990s), Shortland Street (late 1990s), and Mercy Peak (2000 - 2001). Her screen directing work has won awards, including Redemption at the ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival and This Is Her at the Prague International Short Film Festival. Wolfe wrote and directed a stage play, The Haka Party Incident that was presented in 2023 in New Zealand.

Biography

Katie Wolfe, the daughter of Neil Wolfe and Raewyn Wolfe, was born in New Plymouth in 1968, she has three siblings. Wolfe is Māori and is affiliated with the Taranaki iwi Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama.{{Cite news|last=Dann|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11926306|title=Twelve questions: Why Katie Wolfe left Shortland Street - and what she's doing now|date=2017-09-25|work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=2020-03-01|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117105030/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11926306|url-status=live}} After enrolling at Victoria University of Wellington in 1986, she graduated with a BA in English, and stayed in Wellington to study at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Acting School, graduating in 1990.{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/katie-wolfe/biography |title=NZ On Screen |publisher=NZ on Screen.com |date= |accessdate=2011-04-04 |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405054847/https://www.nzonscreen.com/person/katie-wolfe/biography |url-status=live }}

Career

= Acting =

Wolfe's first professional acting job was at Dunedin's Fortune Theatre, followed by the role of presenter for several episodes of NHNZ's children's nature series Wild Track.

Her first television role, as Ginny Gannaway on the series Marlin Bay, was in 1992 began in 1992 and lasted three years. Her feature film debut came in the New Zealand film The Last Tattoo (1994), a murder mystery set in Wellington during World War II directed by John Reid and starring Rod Steiger and Tony Goldwyn along with a large cast of established and soon to be established local actors, including Tim Balme, Danielle Cormack, Kerry Fox, and Robyn Malcolm.

= Directing and writing =

Like other actors associated with Shortland Street, Wolfe directed episodes of that program.{{Cite web |date=19 December 2021 |title=Katie Wolfe: Biography |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/katie-wolfe/biography |access-date=5 November 2023 |website=NZ On Screen |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405054847/https://www.nzonscreen.com/person/katie-wolfe/biography |url-status=live }} Her first two films, the short films This is Her (2008) and Redemption (2010), both premiered at Sundance, and then screened at other international festivals including Telluride (USA), the Berlinale (Germany), the Melbourne International Film Festival, the San Tropez Antipodes Film Festival (France) and the New York Film Festival.{{Cite news |date=December 2008 |title=Other Short Film Highlights |pages=10 |work=NZ Film Newsletter |publisher=NZ Film Commission}} Her first feature-length film, titled Kawa (2010), is an adaptation of Witi Ihimaera's book, Nights in the Gardens of Spain.

Wolfe joined seven other Māori women to direct the omnibus film Waru (2017). Each woman contributed a 10-minute segment of events circling around the tangi of a boy named Waru. After its debut at the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival, Waru screened at the Toronto Film Festival and ImagineNATIVE festivals.{{cite web |title=Waru |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/waru-2017/overview |website=NZOnScreen |accessdate=14 September 2020 |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303110043/https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/waru-2017/overview |url-status=live }}

Wolfe's work as a theatre director includes The Haka Party Incident, a verbatim play about race relations based on a confrontation that occurred between Māori activists and a group of engineering students doing a mock haka at the University of Auckland in 1979. Wolfe, also the author, presented an early version in 2017, leading to its being programmed by a number of festivals throughout New Zealand (Te Tairāwhiti Festival, Auckland Festival, Tauranga Arts Festival, RESET Festival in Taranaki, Nelson Arts Festival) that were affected by Covid 19 restrictions.{{Cite web|title=The Haka Party Incident ⋆ Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival 2021|url=https://tetairawhitiartsfestival.nz/events/the-haka-party-incident/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=8 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608153308/https://tetairawhitiartsfestival.nz/events/the-haka-party-incident/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=The Haka Party Incident {{!}} 30 March - 10 April, ASB Waterfront Theatre|url=https://www.asbwaterfronttheatre.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2021/the-haka-party-incident/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=ASB Waterfront Theatre |language=en|archive-date=17 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517120742/https://www.asbwaterfronttheatre.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2021/the-haka-party-incident/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=The Haka Party Incident|url=https://www.resetfest.co.nz/public/public/shows/httpspremier-ticketek-co-nzshowsshow-aspxshthehakap21/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=RESET 2021|language=en-us}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|title=THE HAKA PARTY INCIDENT {{!}} By Katie Wolfe|url=https://www.nelsonartsfestival.nz/event/the-haka-party-incident/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Nelson Arts Festival|language=en-NZ|archive-date=30 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630132654/https://www.nelsonartsfestival.nz/event/the-haka-party-incident/|url-status=live}} It premiered in 2021 and toured New Zealand in 2023 presented at the Kia Mau Festival, Wellington; Sir Howard Morrison Centre, Rotorua; Taranaki Arts Festival, New Plymouth; Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival, Gisborne; Tauranga Festival and the Court Theatre in Christchurch.{{Cite web |title=The Haka Party Incident - On Tour June 2023 |url=https://www.pannz.org.nz/show/the-haka-party-incident/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Performing Arts Network of New Zealand |language=en-AU |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928113528/https://pannz.org.nz/show/the-haka-party-incident/ |url-status=live }} Critic Nga-Atawhainga Hineāmore said of the play: "...having the actors performing the haka both as a farce and in its full and rightful glory proves to be a strongly emotive way of tracking the obvious social and cultural divide."{{Cite web |title=THE HAKA PARTY INCIDENT |url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/the-haka-party-incident/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Theatreview |language=en-NZ |archive-date=18 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718061828/https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/the-haka-party-incident/ |url-status=live }} The play was produced as a documentary film The Haka Party Incident in 2024,

{{cite web

| last1 = Wolfe | first1 = Katie

| title = The Haka Party Incident (2024)

| date = 2024

| work = IMDb

| url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33085605/mediaviewer/rm3489107970/

| access-date = 2025-02-01

}} Documentary film of duration 01:30:00. {{URL|1=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33085605/|2=IMDb listing 33085605}}.

{{cite web

| title = Katie Wolfe: The Haka Party Incident

| date = 10 August 2024

| work = RNZ

| location = Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand

| language = en-nz

| url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018950585/katie-wolfe-the-haka-party-incident

| access-date = 2024-08-13

}}

{{cite web

| last1 = Dalton-Reedy | first1 = Riria

| title = Haka Party incident 1979 — he pakipūmeka hōu

| date = 31 January 2025

| work = Te Ao Māori News

| location = Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand

| url = https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/02/01/haka-party-incident-1979he-pakipumeka-hou/

| access-date = 2025-02-01

}} Embedded video includes clips of Wolfe talking about the film.

due for release on or about {{date|30 January 2025}}.

{{cite AV media

| title = Documentary on Haka Party Incident set for release

| date = 31 January 2025

| publisher = Te Karere TVNZ

| location = Aotearoa/New Zealand

| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBI57ZXUrn4

| access-date = 2025-02-01

}} YouTube of duration 00:02:27.

Filmography - screen credits

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1994 \|The Last Tattoo \|Rose Mitchell \|
1994 \|La vie en rose \|Audrey Foggin \|
1995 \|Lemming Aid \| \|Short
1996 \|Planet Man \|E.T. \|short
2000 \|{{sortname\|The\|Irrefutable Truth About Demons}} \|Bennie \|
2011 \|{{sortname\|The\|Off Season\|nolink=1}} \| \|Short
2016 \|Ukaipo Whenua \| \|Short

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1994

|The Last Tattoo

|Rose Mitchell

1994

|La vie en rose

|Audrey Foggin

1995

|Lemming Aid

|Short

1996

|Planet Man

|E.T.

|short

2000

|{{sortname|The|Irrefutable Truth About Demons}}

|Bennie

2011

|{{sortname|The|Off Season|nolink=1}}

|Short

2016

|Ukaipo Whenua

|Short

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1992 \|Marlin Bay \|Ginny Gannaway \|TV series
1992 \|The Ray Bradbury Theater \|Anna (age 18-22) \|"Some Live Like Lazarus"
1996 \|Cover Story \| \|TV series
1997-98 \|Shortland Street \|Dr. Bridget Hastings \|Regular role
1999 \|Duggan \|Brenda Marshall \|"Food to Die For"
1999 \|Hercules: The Legendary Journeys \|Arciana \|"Be Deviled"
2001-03 \|Mercy Peak \|Amanda Masefield \|Recurring role
2016 \|{{sortname\|The\|Brokenwood Mysteries}} \|Nicole \|"The Black Widower"

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1992

|Marlin Bay

|Ginny Gannaway

|TV series

1992

|The Ray Bradbury Theater

|Anna (age 18-22)

|"Some Live Like Lazarus"

1996

|Cover Story

|TV series

1997-98

|Shortland Street

|Dr. Bridget Hastings

|Regular role

1999

|Duggan

|Brenda Marshall

|"Food to Die For"

1999

|Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

|Arciana

|"Be Deviled"

2001-03

|Mercy Peak

|Amanda Masefield

|Recurring role

2016

|{{sortname|The|Brokenwood Mysteries}}

|Nicole

|"The Black Widower"

=Other work=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2003-07 \|Shortland Street \|Director (3 episodes)
2004 \|Living the Dream \|Director, TV series
2008 \|This Is Her \|Director, short film
2009 \|Go Girls \|Director (4 episodes)
2010 \|Redemption \|Director & Writer, short film
2010 \|Kawa \|Director
2010-12 \|Shortland Street \|Producer (59 episodes)
2017 \|Waru \|Co-Director & Co-Writer
2024 \|The Haka Party Incident \|Director & Producer

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2003-07

|Shortland Street

|Director (3 episodes)

2004

|Living the Dream

|Director, TV series

2008

|This Is Her

|Director, short film

2009

|Go Girls

|Director (4 episodes)

2010

|Redemption

|Director & Writer, short film

2010

|Kawa

|Director

2010-12

|Shortland Street

|Producer (59 episodes)

2017

|Waru

|Co-Director & Co-Writer

2024

|The Haka Party Incident

|Director & Producer

Theatre

= Directing =

Wolfe has directed a number of plays including:

Luncheon (2014) by Aroha Awarau, at the Basement Theatre, Auckland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/aroha-awarau/|title=Aroha Awarau|last=|first=|date=|website=Playmarket|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117144325/https://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/aroha-awarau/|archive-date=17 January 2020|access-date=2020-03-01|url-status=live}} Starring Jennifer Ward-Lealand{{Cite web|url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/celebrity/celeb-news/interview-jennifer-ward-lealand-and-katie-wolfe-on-the-play-luncheon-2877|title=Interview: Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Katie Wolfe on the play Luncheon|last=|first=|date=2014-05-19|website=Now To Love|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301195921/https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/celebrity/celeb-news/interview-jennifer-ward-lealand-and-katie-wolfe-on-the-play-luncheon-2877|archive-date=1 March 2020|access-date=2020-03-01|url-status=live}}
The Haka Party Incident (2017) written and directed by Katie Wolfe. Verbatim theatre, produced by Auckland Theatre Company.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=The Haka Party Incident|url=https://www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2017-18/the-haka-party-incident/|access-date=2020-03-01|website=Auckland Theatre Company|language=en|archive-date=1 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801130640/https://www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2017-18/the-haka-party-incident/|url-status=live}}
Anahera (2017) by Emma Kinane. Circa Theatre, Wellington.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=10538|title=ANAHERA - Inescapable truths honoured with compelling integrity|last=Smythe|first=John|date=2017-09-10|website=www.theatreview.org.nz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029045046/https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=10538|archive-date=29 October 2018|access-date=2020-03-01|url-status=live}}
The Haka Party Incident (2020) (revision) written and directed by Katie Wolfe. Produced by Auckland Theatre Company.{{Cite web|url=https://www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2020/the-haka-party-incident/|title=The Haka Party Incident|last=Zealand (www.bka.co.nz)|first=Site designed and developed by bka interactive ltd, Auckland, New|website=www.atc.co.nz|language=en|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301201021/https://www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2020/the-haka-party-incident/|url-status=live}}

= Acting Roles =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1999 \|{{sortname\|The\|God Boy}} \|Molly \|Downstage Theatre
2000 \|Haruru Mai \|Paloma \|NZ International Festival
2001 \|{{sortname\|A\|Midsummer Night's Dream}} \|Hermia \|NZ Actors Company
2002 \|Queen Leah \|Edgmar \|NZ Actors Company

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1999

|{{sortname|The|God Boy}}

|Molly

|Downstage Theatre

2000

|Haruru Mai

|Paloma

|NZ International Festival

2001

|{{sortname|A|Midsummer Night's Dream}}

|Hermia

|NZ Actors Company

2002

|Queen Leah

|Edgmar

|NZ Actors Company

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Association ! Category ! Work ! Result
1995	New Zealand Film and TV Awards \|Best Female Performance in Supporting Role - Film \|The Last Tattoo \|{{nom}}
1995 \|New Zealand Film and Television Awards \|Best Female Performance in a Supporting Role - Television \|Marlin Bay \|{{nom}}
1997 \|TV Guide Television Awards \|Best Actress \|Cover Story, episode 7 \|{{won}}
2008 \|New Zealand Film and TV Awards \|Film Award for Best Short Film \|This Is Her \|{{nom}}
2008 \|Antipodes Film Festival, St Tropez \|Nicolas Baudin Award for Best Short Film \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2008 \|Prague International Short Film Festival \|Best Audience Film Award \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2009 \|Filmets - Badalona Short Film Festival \|Venus de Badalona for Best Short Film \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2009 \|Aspen Shortsfest \|Jury Award for Best Comedy \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2009 \|Hamptons International Film Festival{{cite web \|url=http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-Hampton/239497/Hamptons-International-Film-Festival-winners-announced \|title=Hamptons International Film Fest winners announced \|publisher=27east.com \|date=2009-10-13 \|accessdate=2017-03-31 \|archive-date=19 November 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119214533/http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-Hampton/239497/Hamptons-International-Film-Festival-winners-announced \|url-status=live }} \|Audience Award for Best Short \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2009 \|Palm Springs Shortfest \|Future Filmmaker Award \| \|{{won}}
2010 \|Show Me Shorts Film Festival \|Best Film \|This Is Her \|{{won}}
2010 \|ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival \|Jury Award for Best Short Drama \|Redemption \|{{won}}
2010 \|ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival \|Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Emerging Talent \|Redemption \|{{won}}
2011 \|Sundance Film Festival \|Short Filmmaking Award in International \|Redemption \|{{nom}}
2021 \|Adam NZ Play Award \|Best Play by A Māori Playwright \|The Haka Party Incident \|Won

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Association

! Category

! Work

! Result

1995

New Zealand Film and TV Awards

|Best Female Performance in Supporting Role - Film

|The Last Tattoo

|{{nom}}

1995

|New Zealand Film and Television Awards

|Best Female Performance in a Supporting Role - Television

|Marlin Bay

|{{nom}}

1997

|TV Guide Television Awards

|Best Actress

|Cover Story, episode 7

|{{won}}

2008

|New Zealand Film and TV Awards

|Film Award for Best Short Film

|This Is Her

|{{nom}}

2008

|Antipodes Film Festival, St Tropez

|Nicolas Baudin Award for Best Short Film

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2008

|Prague International Short Film Festival

|Best Audience Film Award

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2009

|Filmets - Badalona Short Film Festival

|Venus de Badalona for Best Short Film

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2009

|Aspen Shortsfest

|Jury Award for Best Comedy

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2009

|Hamptons International Film Festival{{cite web |url=http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-Hampton/239497/Hamptons-International-Film-Festival-winners-announced |title=Hamptons International Film Fest winners announced |publisher=27east.com |date=2009-10-13 |accessdate=2017-03-31 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119214533/http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-Hampton/239497/Hamptons-International-Film-Festival-winners-announced |url-status=live }}

|Audience Award for Best Short

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2009

|Palm Springs Shortfest

|Future Filmmaker Award

|{{won}}

2010

|Show Me Shorts Film Festival

|Best Film

|This Is Her

|{{won}}

2010

|ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival

|Jury Award for Best Short Drama

|Redemption

|{{won}}

2010

|ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival

|Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Emerging Talent

|Redemption

|{{won}}

2011

|Sundance Film Festival

|Short Filmmaking Award in International

|Redemption

|{{nom}}

2021

|Adam NZ Play Award

|Best Play by A Māori Playwright

|The Haka Party Incident

|Won

Personal life

Wolfe married fellow actor Tim Balme in 1994, and together they have two children. Wolfe also has a step-son.{{cite web|author=Virginia Winder|date=2003-12-12|title=Katie Wolfe's Dramatic Life... So Far|url=http://www.pukeariki.com/Research/TaranakiStories/TaranakiStory/id/107/title/katie-wolfes-dramatic-lifeso-far.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212015014/http://www.pukeariki.com/Research/TaranakiStories/TaranakiStory/id/107/title/katie-wolfes-dramatic-lifeso-far.aspx|archive-date=12 December 2010|publisher=Pukeariki.com|accessdate=2011-04-04}}

References

{{Reflist

| colwidth = 30em

| refs =

}}

External links

{{IMDb name|0938082}}
[https://katiewolfe.co.nz/ Katie Wolfe Website]

Category:1968 births

Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand film actresses

Category:New Zealand women film directors

Category:Toi Whakaari alumni

Category:Māori-language film directors

Category:New Zealand dramatists and playwrights

Category:New Zealand stage actors

Category:New Zealand theatre directors