A classically-trained pianist and flute player, Peata grew up playing and singing in bands, orchestras, chamber groups & choirs. Before becoming an actress, she taught instrumental music privately and at the Richmond View School Music Academy. She also trained in classical ballet for 10 years before switching to contemporary and various street dance styles, with an emphasis on Krump.
Peata’s involvement in the film industry began at age 19, when she took on the role of Wardrobe Supervisor on indie film Northspur. The following year she worked on 10 different TSF short films in various crew positions before taking a First Assistant Camera course at the NZ Cinematography Society. Since then she she has worked as a 1st AC, lighting assistant or B cam operator on numerous shorts film throughout the wider region. A few highlights have been data wrangling & operating C Camera on a reality series for ITV (currently in post-production), focus pulling on Kiwi-Bollywood short film collaboration Tinsel over Twizel, DP on short film Night Terrors, focus pulling on single-take film Rock Bottom and being a camera assistant/trainee on short film First Horse – winner of the 2024 First Nations award at Sydney Film Festival.
The last three years she has been working freelance, spending a few months of each year in Auckland to study Michael Chekhov acting technique under Elena Stejko, and lately stunts at the NZ Stunt School. Recent industry highlights have been Lee Tamahori’s The Convert, stunts on Maori TV’s Kairākau Season 4, and background work in Netflix’s East of Eden. She stars in locally-made short film, War Paint, which won several international festival awards for best drama and is now streaming on Maori+. She also appears as a guest/presenter in VICE Australia’s ‘Local Access’ series. She is represented by Auckland agency, ODD Management.
