Tim writes: 'So I say to my lovely wife - "What would I need to go and do the MA at university for? I know what a film looks like – I've been watching and waiting all my adult life to make 'em".

' "Watching, waiting - so how about putting some structure around that, Hitchcock?"

'Four months later I'm sitting in a room at IIML with ten brand new mates - talking, laughing, arguing and best of all - learning. Learning how much I still had to learn. Relearning the stinging, ringing feeling of being humbled and then starting anew.

'Ken's beautifully designed course gave me the kick in the arse I needed. It gave me strategies to keep going no matter what. It gave me a gentle but firm understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. I got a New Zealand scriptwriting god as a supervisor and friend. I got busy and got out a feature script of my very own.

'There's still a way to go but we're traveling much faster now – what with a map in the glove box and some good directions from mates.

'Nō reira, te mihi anō atu ki a koe Ken koutou kō Graeme me ngā kaimahi ō IIML kua horahia mai ō koutou pūkenga ō koutou tautoko o koutou manaaki, kia tipu ai, kia puāwai ai ēnei kakano kei waenga i a mātou ngā tauira.'

Bio: Tim was born in 1964 and grew up in Devonport, Auckland.

Since finishing a Fine Arts degree at Elam, University of Auckland in 1989, he has worked as an artist. His primary inspiration is his Tūhoe and Matātua heritage. Projects have included: a number of large public carvings and paintings in the Eastern Bay of Plenty; the creation of flags for Ngai Tūhoe and Ngāti Awa; redesigning the Whakatane Museum; a variety of community and iwi graphic design work; various exhibitions of carving and painting; marae restoration; stone jewelry etc.

Through the later part of the 90s and the early 00s he focused his energy primarily on tā moko as well as returning to an old art school interest in television/film (he completed his BFA by making a short 16mm film, Savage Rites). The moving picture work included positions as: writer and sometime director on the Māori children's TV show Pukana ; storyliner and Māori consultant for South Pacific Pictures on Shortland Street, Jackson's Wharf and Whalerider.

Since completing his MA, Tim and his whanau have returned to the Bay of Plenty where he is the Chairman of his marae, Tauanui. His MA thesis script Piki Whara was given development funding by the New Zealand Film Commission and also accepted into the European Script Lab eQuinoxe. He has also gone on to write for the drama series Waimarie, the feature project M3d, and the Maui feature project, and directed television for Radiradirah and I Know a Sheila Like That. In addiition he was a member of the core creative team that designed the opening ceremony for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In 2014, Tim wrote, produced and co-directed a short musical documentary called The Road to Whakarae which celebrates the ahi kā wahanau of the Waimana valley and is available to view online. He also wrote, directed and edited a 15min narrative film called Tits on a Bull – originally written as a short play for his MA – a drama about the friendship between a young Maori woman rugby player and her crusty old Pakeha coach. In 2015 Tits on a Bull was selected for screening in the NZIFF New Zealand's Best Short Film programme, and won the New Zealand Writers' Guild SWANZ Award for Best Short Film Script. Other 2014 projects included writing and directing for the comedy web series Only in Aotearoa and writing for the TV series Kairakau.

2019-2021 has been a busy couple of years for Tim. He has been co-lead writer and director on TV3's acclaimed drama series Head High - back for a second season in 2021 - as well as writing the TVNZ documentary series Origins. He has also been involved as screenwriter in two feature projects: Whawhai Tonu and the innovative indigenous Aotearoa-Australia co-production Ngā Pouwhenua - an anthology feature due for release late in 2021. In addition, Tim was a storyliner and director on Greenstone TV's new drama series Vegas and is developing a near-future political thriller, AOS, with Rotorua based Māori collective Steambox Films. His short film Māori Time also comes out in 2021, and he has written and will direct 'Tappy', an episode of the new TVNZ Supernatural Anthology Series, to be released as an anthology feature titled Tua.

He is married to Taria Tahana with whom he has two sons: Tiki and Tanu. They live in Rotorua.

Read more:

• Tim's NZ Onscreen | Iwi Whitiāhua profile
• The Road to Whakarae (watch online)
• 'Head High is the best and most complex NZ drama in years' (Spinoff review, 28 June 2020)
• Origins - TVNZ
• 'Tim Worrall - Tūhoe storyteller' (E-Tangata, 21 June 2020)