Awhimai Fraser

Actor Singer

Awhimai Fraser (Waikato, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kahungunu) is an actor, singer and songwriter whose voice audiences worldwide now know as Matangi in Disney’s Moana 2. She played the role in both the original release and its te reo Māori counterpart, and has also lent her talents to Frozen Reo Māori, and Encanto Reo Māori.

On stage, Awhimai has a wealth of musical theatre experience, having played Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Sandy in Grease, and most recently, she led the national tour of & Juliet as Anne Hathaway. She’s equally at home on the concert stage, having been a soloist in Hans Zimmer - The Art of the Score and at the APO’s Christmas Cheer.

Her screen credits include a recurring role on Shortland Street, four seasons as core cast on Ahikaroa, and - in a role that made her world famous to a generation of tamariki - as Māia, a core cast member of Toi Time!

Off camera, her vocals feature on the soundtracks for Good Grief, Vegas and Tangata Pai, and she most recently voiced narrator Honey in This Is Home. She also works as a kaitautoko for te reo Māori and an acting coach for rangatahi.

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Hair Colour
Dark Brown
Location
Taupō
Age Range
25 - 35

Ethnicity
Māori, New Zealand European
Height
173cm
Eye Colour
Blue

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Full CV

• Credits

  Feature Film
  2024 - Moana 2 - Matangi (voice) - Directors - David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand & Dana Ledoux Miller - Disney

  Television
  2021 - Ahikāroa: season 4 - Chantelle (core cast) - Kura Productions
  2020 - Ahikāroa: season 3 - Chantelle (core cast) - Kura Productions
  2019 - Ahikāroa: season 2 - Chantelle (core cast) - Kura Productions
  2017 - Ahikāroa: season 1 - Chantelle (core cast) - Kura Productions
  2018 - Shortland Street - Becky Burrows (recurring) - South Pacific Pictures

  Television - Presenting:
  2022 - 2026 - Toi Time!: seasons 1 - 5 - Māia (core cast) - Rogue Productions

  Voice - Te Reo Māori
  2024 - Moana 2 (te reo Māori) - Matangi - Disney / Matewa Media
  2024 - Encanto (te reo Māori) - Dolores - Disney / Matewa Media
  2022 - Frozen (te reo Māori) - Elsa - Disney / Matewa Media

  Musical Theatre
  2026 - & Juliet - Anne Hathaway - Director - Hamish Mouat - G&T Productions (national tour)
  2017 - Into the Woods - Cinderella - Director - Jonathan Hendry - Fortune Theatre
  2016 - Mary Poppins - Miss Lark / Ensemble - Directors - Stephen Robertson & Ross Gumbley - The Court Theatre
  2015 - The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Edwin Drood / Dick Datchery / Alice Nutting - Director - Lyndee-Jane Rutherford - Circa Theatre

  Music & Recorded Performance
  2025 - Tangata Pai - Vocalist “Beatiful Dreamer” - Brown Sugar Apple Grunt
  2020 - 2026 - The Lullaby Project - Singer / Songwriter - NZ Opera & Carnegie Hall
  2024 - Les Mills: Kia Kanikani Tahi - Singer - Written by Pere Wihongi
  2021 - Vegas - Titles Vocalist - TV2

  Live Performance
  2025 - Get Lost (live at SiriusXM) - Matangi - With Emily Bear
  2025 - Hans Zimmer: The Art of the Score - Soloist - Auckland Philharmonia
  2025 - Foenander Galleries Art Exhibition Opening - Vocalist
  2024 - Toi Time! Live Concert - Māia - Storytime with the NZSO
  2017 - Songs for the Deaf - Solo Vocalist - Stimmung Choir
  2016 - Christmas in the Park - Vocalist - Director - Dixon Nacey
  
  Web-series
  2022 - Good Grief - Finale Singer - Director - Kiel McNaughton - Brown Sugar Apple Grunt

  Commercial includes
  2026 - New Zealand Defence Force Recruitment - Vocalist - Radio
  2024 - Te Whatu Ora Smokefree - Radio - NZ only
  2023 - Kete Kai / Bargain Box - Presenter - Director - Sonny Ngatai - ATA Limited
  2023 - My Food Bag / Bargain Box - Presenter - TVC - NZ only

• Training

  Training
  2023 - Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi (Level 6) - Tutor - Lindsey Puaawai Kahi - Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
  2016 - The Rumaki Reo – Diploma in Oral Māori Fluency (Level 5) - Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa
  2012 - 2014 - Bachelor of Applied Arts (Performing Arts) - Whitireia New Zealand

  Workshops & Professional Development
  2026 - Musical Theatre Workshop - Facilitator - Te Pou Theatre
  2025 - Aho Shorts Development Lab - Actor - Caravan Carpark Films
  2025 - Te Puhi Actors Workshop - Actor - Director - Cian Elyse White - Sweetshop Entertainment
  2024 - SongHubs Reo Māori x Welsh - APRA

• Skills

  Skills
  Languages - Te Reo Māori (fluent)
  Singing - Musical Theatre, Solo Vocalist
  Songwriter
  Music Production
  Presenting
  Te Reo Māori Support (Pou Tiaki)

Showreel