Feisty & fearless! MARAMA & RAWIRI'S SPECIAL BOND

SHE MAY NOT BE A DRAMA QUEEN, BUT THE ACTOR RECKONS HIS GIRL’S STILL A CLASS ACT

- Louise Richardson

“When I was a little girl, I used to think that I had two dads,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. “One was sitting right next to me, while the other one lived in a little box in the lounge!”

She’s talking about one of New Zealand’s acting royalty, Rawiri Paratene, 67, who hosted the popular series Play School during the ’80s, when his family was young.

When the Weekly catches up with the pair at Rawiri’s home in Auckland, Marama’s running late, due to very wet weather and when she arrives, clutching toddler granddaughter Raeya, pronouncing her to be still in her pyjamas and “unbreakfasted”, Rawiri just grins fondly and reaches in for a warm hug with them both, while his wife Lester quickly rustles up toast and Marmite.

It’s a bond that is particularly special after Rawiri suffered a series of strokes in 2018 which temporarily halted his career. At the time of the first stroke, he was rehearsing the role of Sultan in the musical Aladdin, which was due to begin in Auckland, but he was forced to pull out. Following a second and third stroke, Rawiri was left with aphasia, which delays neural pathways between the brain and speech. He has spent the past three years teaching himself how to talk again, with almost complete success.

“You weren’t going to be shut up for long, Dad, were you?” Marama teases. “I’m incredibly proud of his strength and the way he’s fought back.

He’s talking really well and although his short-term memory isn’t always great, he’s remembering much more from long ago, which is actually quite lovely.”