Lee Tamahori

Director Lee Tamahori attends the 'The Patriarch' (Mahana) photo

Tamahori in 2016, photo by Denis Makarenko/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Warren Lee Tamahori

Place of Birth: Wellington, New Zealand

Date of Birth: 17 June, 1950

Ethnicity:
*father – Māori, as well as 1/16th English, some Scottish
*mother – English

Lee Tamahori is a New Zealand filmmaker. He has directed the films Once Were Warriors, Mulholland Falls, The Edge, Along Came a Spider, Die Another Day, XXX: State of the Union, Next (2007), The Devil’s Double, and Mahana.

Lee is the son of Patricia and Philip Tamahori.

Lee’s paternal grandfather was Pineamine “Pine” Tamahori (the son of a father surnamed McLeod, and of Heni Kai Ngata). Pineamine was born in Karkariki, East Coast, New Zealand, and was an Anglican minister, of Ngāti Porou descent. His father was a Pakeha, white geologist. His mother was Māori. Pineamine changed his name from McLeod to Tamahori.

Lee’s paternal grandmother was Mareana/Mereana Muheni Goldsmith (the daughter of Edward James “Ted/Tete” Goldsmith and Meri Waihuka Huriwhenua “Mere” Matauru). Mareana was born in Rangitukia, Tikitiki, Waiapu, Gisborne, New Zealand. Edward was the son of Charles George Goldsmith, who was a trader and sailor from Liverpool, England, and of Makere Te Ngongohau Poito, who was Māori. Lee’s great-grandmother Meri was Māori, and was the daughter of Wikiriwhi Matauru and Nakunaku Ripeka Hinekino.

Lee’s maternal grandfather was Cyril Cecil Francis Thompson (the son of Francis Louis Thompson and Catherine Garland). Lee’s great-grandfather Francis was the son of Charles Abel Thompson and Sophia Matilda Lough, who were from Middlesex, England. Catherine was the daughter of Alex Garland and Ellen.

Lee’s maternal grandmother was Lulu Reta/Rita Margaret Prentice (the daughter of John William Archibald “Jack” Prentice and Ivy Alfreda Rose Smith). John was the son of John Prentice and Nora. Ivy was the daughter of William John Smith and Ellen Waterson, who had partial roots in Stratford, Essex, England.

Sources: Genealogy of Lee Tamahori (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Article about Lee’s paternal grandfather, Pineamine “Pine” Tamahori – http://www.sharechat.co.nz

2 Responses

  1. comrade says:

    Lee’s paternal grandparents were Pineamine (Pine) Tamahori and Mareana/Mereana Muheni Goldsmith. Mareana was the daughter of Edward James (Ted/Tete) Goldsmith and Meri Waihuka Huriwhenua (Mere) Matauru (whose parents were Wikiriwhi Matauru and Nakunaku Ripeka Hinekino).

    Edward James Goldsmith was the son of Charles George Goldsmith, who was a trader/sailor from Liverpool, England and Makere Te Ngongohau Poito (daughter of Ahuahou Matiu Poito and Harete Karo).

    Pineamine Tamahori was an Anglican minister of Ngāti Porou descent. His father was a Pakeha (white) geologist named McLeod. His mother was Heni Kai Ngata, a Māori woman. Pineamine changed his name from McLeod to Tamahori.

    It’s possible that Pineamine’s father was named George as Tamahori translates to Son of George (Tama=son, Hori=George) or it could be that Tamahori was a name from his mothers side of the family.

    Lee’s maternal grandfather Cyril Cecil Francis Thompson was the son of Francis Louis Thompson and Catherine Garland (daughter of Alex and Ellen Garland). Francis Louis Thompson was the son of Charles Abel Thompson and Sophia Matilda Lough both from Middlesex, England.

    Lee’s maternal grandmother Lulu Reta/Rita Margaret Prentice was the daughter of John William Archibald (Jack) Prentice (son of John and Nora Prentice) and Ivy Alfreda Rose Smith (daughter of William John Smith and Ellen Waterson). Ellen Waterson was the daughter of John Waterson and Freda Rosetta Burling (daughter of Henry Burling and Mary Worsley both from Stratford, Essex, England).

    (Lee is married and has two children.)

    Genealogy of Lee Tamahori (paternal): https://www.geni.com/people/Lee-Tamahori/6000000064756488920?through=6000000064756020827

    Article about Pineamine Tamahori: http://www.sharechat.co.nz/article/650f37e8/the-tax-man.html

    Genealogy of Pineamine Tamahori: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tamahori-2

    *father – Māori, 1/16th English, some Scottish
    *mother – English

  2. andrew says:

    there’s some genealogy in that link. Click “family tree”.

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