Actor, writer and director for stage and screen, who has been active over five decades and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2013 for his contributions.

Mr Paratene has been a long-time advocate for the use of te reo Māori and is a member of the Ngā Tamatoa movement campaigning for the teaching of Māori in schools, having founded the Wellington branch. He has directed on language learning shows ‘Kōrero Mai’ and ‘Whānau’. He is a Trustee of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium and of Te Paepae Ataata, which funds the development of Māori cinema. 

His work on TV includes: