Rotorua war hero story told in new opera Mate Ururoa

Nine To Noon

The true story of Rotorua soldier Captain Roger Dansey is being brought to life in Wellington Opera's performance Mate Ururoa. Written by acclaimed New Zealand composer Dame Gillian Whitehead, it tells the true story of Roger Ingram Te Kepa Dansey, engineer and Maori All Black, who enlisted when Britain declared war on Germany in 1914 and was one of the five hundred strong "Native Contingent". His war story is first about the humiliation faced by Maori soldiers, his heroism at Gallipoli, but then being accused of desertion and sent home in disgrace. Whitehead wrote the libretto in te reo Maori and English for US-based Maori baritone David Tahere, who plays Roger Dansey, and is a member of his whanau. Directed by Sara Brodie, the opera was originally supposed to premiere in 2021 at New York's Carnegie Hall - but this was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead the world premiere will be in Wellington this weekend. Dame Gillian Whitehead, Sara Brodie and David Tahere are in the Wellington studio.