Zak Waipara is a Aotearoa New Zealand comic artist, illustrator, and storyteller of Māori (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu) and European descent. His work spans comics, children’s literature, animation, and visual storytelling for education and public engagement. Zak is widely recognised for creating culturally grounded narratives that centre Indigenous knowledge, language, and identity, and for his commitment to empowering rangatahi through creative practice. Alongside his artistic work, he is a senior lecturer of communication studies at AUT and has contributed to teaching, mentoring, and community-based initiatives that support emerging Māori and Pasifika storytellers and expand the role of comics within Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural and educational landscape.
