Wahine Warrior

After a brush with death, she was reborn a warrior. Hunting is her therapy. Now thousands seek to join her revolution.

We need your help to tell the story of this Wahine Warrior as she faces her next challenge.

A past of hardship and abandonment meant Pania never dared to dream big. She reinvented herself as Wahine Toa Hunter, turning to nature to grow kai and hunt. Now an empowered woman of worth, she must answer the call to make an impact, whilst not losing the grassroots integrity of her personal revolution.

Pania is ready to be a leader. She has much to offer women in need because she understands the lousy feeling of relying on welfare. She knows what it’s like to be stuck in a toxic relationship feeling like she doesn’t deserve better. Luckily, she found a cure.

This short documentary will explore mental health, recovery and the power of relearning the old ways of living off the land. In this very personal story, it's about connecting with nature, kinship, and taking control through self-sufficiency.

Pania wants to inspire generational change, helping whānau learn old ways of both living off the land and nurturing it. Her methods are in demand - 3,000 women have signed up for her help. But scaling up is hard as her unique hunts are small and intimate. How will she do it and who can she trust to help her since she’s been betrayed in the past?

Wahine Warrior has been selected for Loading Docs 2020, a short documentary launchpad for filmmakers. As part of the initiative, we need to raise $2,500 through Boosted. Once we reach our target, it will unlock another $6,000 funding from Loading Docs, who will also cover post-production costs. However, this is an all or nothing campaign. If we don’t reach our target, we won’t be able to make this documentary. That’s why we need your help.

Please donate $5 / $10 or more to bring Pania’s story to life. The funding will help with costs of production; crew, equipment and travel – we have ambitious plans to include animation in this film.

Loading Docs is funded by NZ on Air with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho.

Join us on the journey as we make Wahine Warrior. Please donate and share.

About the filmmakers

Emma Calveley - Director

Emma loves the challenge of connecting with audiences to tell strong stories on screen in fresh and engaging ways. The environment, health and inequality are topics she cares deeply about. She strives for a fresh approach and while she is known for compassionate work, she also seeks to include humour in her stories. Emma’s work has taken her from places as diverse as remote Papua New Guinean villages, to Tanzania and the United Nations, having directed more than 60 hours of documentaries for television and film festivals. 

Nix Jaques - Kaihautu / Producer

Nix is a producer that loves the process of telling a story and the collaboration of bringing it together. Sharing the story of our people is a precious taonga that should be nurtured. Over the last decade Nix has had the privilege of travelling Aotearoa and helping capture the stories of iwi through the television series Marae DIY. Her experience is in reality and documentary, placing New Zealanders on screen. What fuels her is the belief that when we showcase our world, we learn to appreciate the world we live in. Importantly, Nix is passionate about telling honest stories.