He’s been punched, shot at, blown up and thrown off things for a living — now one of New Zealand’s top stunt performers is coming to Queenstown to teach others the tricks of the trade. Thomas Kiwi’s holding a one-day ‘intro to stunts’ workshop in the resort on August 16, and has places available for locals curious about a career in the TV and movie business. The Auckland-based veteran stunt performer and fight co-ordinator tells Mountain Scene he set up Native Stunts NZ three years ago to teach actors and stunt performers how to perform safely and confidently on camera. He loves sharing the knowledge and experience he’s gained over his 30-year career to help create opportunities for people “passionate about acting, stunt performance and the film industry”. Although it’ll be his first workshop in Queenstown, he’s no stranger to these parts. [Missing Credit]Loves to teach: Stunt performer and teacher Thomas Kiwi. He’s worked on many films in the Whakatipu over the years, from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies in the early 2000s to Brad Pitt survival thriller Heart of the Beast — much of which was shot last year at the head of the lake and in Mount Aspiring National Park. It’s a long way from what he describes as a “Once Were Warriors”-type upbringing in the Bay of Plenty, which curbed any opportunities to make the most of his sporting talents. Instead, a love for “singing and showing off” led to him getting involved in school productions and then, at 16, leaving school to study performing arts at the local polytech. He later travelled widely overseas with Māori cultural performance groups before a ballet performance he saw inspired him to audition for the NZ School of Dance — he was accepted, but left six months later to join a modern dance company. While working as a professional dancer in Auckland, he auditioned to be a “dance double” for Kevin Sorbo, the American star of locally-produced TV series Hercules. That proved to be a turning point in his life — getting to know stunt performers on the production ultimately led to his start in the industry in Hercules and its spin-off, Xena. Kiwi says the NZ film industry is continuing to grow, and while stunt performing isn’t easy to get into, there are more opportunities than ever before. While athleticism is a prerequisite, soft skills like acting ability, safety awareness, team work and communication are vital attributes, he says. The workshop costs $380 — Kiwi can be contacted at: nativestuntsnz@gmail.com guy.williams@scene.co.nz
