Maori Boy Genius

"The rhetoric surrounding this coming-of-age documentary is weighty, pitching the life of young Otaki/Hastings schoolboy Ngaa Rauuira Pumanawawhiti as one of historical significance – even comparing the film to the notion of having followed a teenage Obama around with a camera. Obama went to Harvard. Ngaa Rauuira is off to summer school at Yale University and also has political ambitions. His whanau would clearly love him to be a groundbreaker and become New Zealand’s first Maori prime minister."

"A smart choice for broadcasters and fests, “Genius” should have a healthy shelf life in educational ancillary."

"In its boosterish approach, the film somehow sells him short; in saying he's more than he is, it patronises him - and us too."

"There's no denying Pumanawawhiti's maturity and likable character: he makes a great documentary subject."

"A must-see."