Matewa Kiritapu: Everything You Need to Know About Taika Waititi’s Daughter in 2026

When the world talks about Taika Waititi, they talk about an Oscar winner, a visionary filmmaker, and the creative genius behind blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. But beyond the red carpets and the award speeches, there is a quieter, deeply personal story — one that centres on his young daughter, Matewa Kiritapu Waititi.

Matewa Kiritapu is the second daughter of Taika Waititi and his former wife, acclaimed New Zealand film producer Chelsea Winstanley. Growing up between the vibrant landscapes of New Zealand and the glittering world of Hollywood, she carries a heritage as rich and layered as her father’s most celebrated films.

While Matewa is still a child and her life is rightly kept private by her parents, public interest in her story — who she is, where she comes from, and the remarkable family that surrounds her — remains genuinely high. In this comprehensive profile, we explore everything that is publicly known about Taika Waititi’s daughter, her famous family background, and the extraordinary cultural legacy she is growing up within.

Early Life & Biography — Who Is Matewa Kiritapu?

Matewa Kiritapu Waititi was born approximately in 2016, making her around 9–10 years old as of 2026. Her exact date of birth has never been publicly confirmed, a deliberate decision by her parents to protect her privacy from the intense media spotlight that follows her father’s career.

She was born in New Zealand — the country her father Taika Waititi has always called home — though her family has spent considerable time in Los Angeles, California, and London, England, due to the international nature of both her parents’ professional lives.

The name Matewa Kiritapu is deeply rooted in Te Reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. This reflects her father’s strong commitment to preserving and celebrating Māori culture, something Taika has spoken about passionately throughout his career. Her name is not merely a label — it is a statement of cultural pride and identity that her parents have gifted her from birth.

Matewa is the younger of two daughters. Her older sister, Te Hinekāhu Waititi, was born around 2012 and shares the same Māori-inspired naming tradition. Both girls have been raised with a profound awareness of their indigenous Māori roots, their father’s Ngāti Korokoro, Ngāti Ruahine, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui whakapapa (genealogy), as well as their New Zealand European heritage on both sides of the family.

Parents, Siblings & Family Background

Father — Taika Waititi: Born Taika David Cohen on August 16, 1975, in Raukokore on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Taika Waititi is one of the most celebrated filmmakers working in Hollywood today. He is of Māori (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) and New Zealand European (including Ashkenazi Jewish) descent. Taika won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit in 2020, cementing his place in cinema history. Beyond screenwriting, he has directed films including Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel Studios.

Mother — Chelsea Winstanley: Chelsea Winstanley is a highly respected New Zealand film producer of Māori descent (Waikato-Tainui). She produced the acclaimed documentaries Tama Tū and Tickled, the latter of which achieved significant international recognition. Chelsea and Taika were married in 2012 but separated around 2018; they co-parent their two daughters with a reportedly cooperative and respectful arrangement.

Step-Mother — Rita Ora: Taika Waititi entered a relationship with British-Albanian singer and actress Rita Ora in 2021, and the couple married in an intimate private ceremony in London in August 2021. Rita Ora has spoken warmly about Taika’s daughters in various interviews, describing her role in their lives with care and enthusiasm. Matewa and Te Hinekāhu therefore have a step-mother who is herself a global music and entertainment icon.

Sister — Te Hinekāhu Waititi: Matewa’s older sister Te Hinekāhu, born approximately 2012, is her closest companion and fellow daughter to the Waititi-Winstanley family. The two girls have occasionally appeared in the background of family photographs shared publicly by their parents. Te Hinekāhu shares her sister’s distinctive Māori name, reflecting the family’s cultural values.

Paternal Grandfather — Robin Cohen: Matewa’s paternal grandfather is Robin Cohen (also known as Taika’s father), a Māori artist. Though he and Taika’s mother separated when Taika was just three years old, Robin’s artistic influence has been cited by Taika as a formative element of his own creative identity — a legacy that undoubtedly reaches Matewa through the stories and values her father carries.

Paternal Grandmother — Pirihira Waititi: Taika’s mother Pirihira Waititi raised him largely as a single parent in Wellington, New Zealand. It was her surname — Waititi — that Taika chose to use professionally, honouring his Māori heritage over his father’s European surname. This deliberate choice speaks to the deep value of whakapapa (ancestral connection) in the family, a tradition that both Matewa and Te Hinekāhu will inherit.

Full Bio & Family Timeline

Family Wealth, Net Worth & Lifestyle Background

Matewa Kiritapu does not have a personal net worth in the traditional sense — she is a child and has not pursued any professional endeavour. However, it is well documented that she is growing up within one of the most financially successful creative families in the Southern Hemisphere.

Her father, the Thor: Ragnarok director, has an estimated net worth of approximately $40 million USD as of 2026, according to multiple entertainment finance sources. This figure reflects his directing and producing fees, his acting roles across film and television, and his writing royalties from award-winning scripts including Jojo Rabbit and the Thor franchise.

Her mother, Chelsea Winstanley, is herself a successful film producer whose documentary work has achieved international distribution deals and festival acclaim. Chelsea’s producing career independently contributes to the family’s financial stability and stands as a remarkable example of professional achievement in its own right.

Step-mother Rita Ora, who married Taika Waititi in 2021, has an estimated personal net worth of around $30 million USD, accumulated through her music career, brand endorsements, acting roles, and business ventures across the UK, Europe, and the United States. The combined household wealth of the Waititi-Ora family makes Matewa’s upbringing one of extraordinary financial privilege.

“Matewa Kiritapu’s story is not one of celebrity excess — it’s one of cultural identity, intentional parenting, and the quietly powerful legacy that comes from being raised between two worlds: the ancient wisdom of the Māori and the electric creativity of modern Hollywood.”

— AB Rehman, Business & Celebrity Finance Analyst

Māori Heritage, Cultural Identity & Growing Up Between Two Worlds

One of the most defining features of Matewa Kiritapu’s early life is her Māori heritage. Her father Taika Waititi identifies proudly as Māori and has spoken at length — in interviews, at award ceremonies, and through his creative work — about the importance of indigenous storytelling and the visibility of Māori people in global culture.

Taika’s tribal affiliations include Ngāti Korokoro, Ngāti Ruahine, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui on his father’s side, all located on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. These are the same whakapapa (ancestral lines) that flow through Matewa Kiritapu. Her name — given in Te Reo Māori — is one of the most visible public signals of how seriously her parents take this heritage.

Her mother Chelsea Winstanley is of Waikato-Tainui descent, one of the largest iwi (tribes) in New Zealand. This means Matewa carries Māori whakapapa from both sides of her family — a genuinely rare and powerful dual indigenous lineage that places her firmly within the heart of New Zealand’s First Nations community.

Growing up between Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand, Los Angeles in California, and London in the United Kingdom, Matewa occupies a uniquely global yet culturally grounded childhood. Her father has spoken of wanting his daughters to feel connected to New Zealand, describing it as a place that grounds him no matter how far his career takes him — and that sense of rootedness appears to be something he is consciously passing on to his children.

It is worth noting that Taika Waititi’s creative output has increasingly centred on indigenous and marginalised voices. From the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit to his work on the What We Do in the Shadows franchise, his storytelling consistently champions outsiders and those who live between worlds. It is impossible not to see Matewa’s own bicultural, multinational upbringing reflected in her father’s thematic preoccupations.

Where Is Matewa Kiritapu Now? (Current Lifestyle & Status in 2026)

As of 2026, Matewa Kiritapu Waititi is approximately 9–10 years old and believed to be attending primary school. Details about which school or which city she is currently based in remain private — a decision upheld by both Taika and Chelsea, who have consistently kept their daughters away from the press.

The family is understood to divide time between Los Angeles, California, where Taika maintains a base for his extensive Hollywood commitments, and New Zealand, which both he and Chelsea consider home. Rita Ora’s career additionally keeps the extended family connected to London, UK and Europe.

What is publicly visible — through Taika’s occasional social media posts and interview comments — is that both daughters appear to be happy, creatively engaged children. Taika has referenced being a father as one of the most grounding forces in his life, calling his daughters his “greatest project” in various interviews.

There is currently no indication that Matewa Kiritapu has any interest in entering the entertainment industry, nor has either parent suggested she will follow in their footsteps. If and when she chooses a path, it will clearly be on her own terms — raised as she has been with the confidence of two enormously accomplished, independently minded parents.

Final Thoughts — Matewa Kiritapu’s Legacy in the Making

Matewa Kiritapu Waititi may only be a child, but her story is already one of remarkable context and layered meaning. Born into one of New Zealand’s most creatively gifted families, carrying a Māori heritage from both her mother and father’s lineages, and growing up between the landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand and the global stage of Hollywood, she represents something genuinely significant.

She is, in many ways, the living embodiment of what her father’s career has always argued for: that indigenous stories matter, that identities shaped between cultures are not weaknesses but extraordinary strengths, and that the children of creative people carry forward legacies that reach far beyond box office returns or award ceremonies.

What Matewa chooses to do with her future — whether she enters the arts, the sciences, community leadership, or something entirely unforeseen — is entirely her own story to write. But the foundation she has been given, by two exceptionally talented and culturally grounded parents, is as strong as any child in the world could hope for.

As students of the Waititi creative legacy — and admirers of the thoughtful, loving family environment Taika and Chelsea have built despite the pressures of fame — we look forward to watching Matewa Kiritapu grow into whoever she is meant to be. Quietly, on her own terms, just the way her parents intended.