Dr Donna Mariana Morrison

08 May, 2026

Dr Donna Mariana Morrison (Te Arawa) wrote the script for the movie Sgt. Haane, based on her doctoral thesis. An alumna of the Te Ipukarea Research Institute, she graduated with her PhD in 2023.

Sgt. Haane tells the story of her grand-uncle, the late Lance Sergeant Haane Te Rauawa Manahi (Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa), a decorated veteran of the 28 Māori Battalion B Coy.

The film premiered in Rotorua to whānau, then in Newmarket in April to an invited audience before receiving wider cinema release.