‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ tells the story of Fritz, a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters led by ‘man-mountain’ Tahu. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.
The multi-talented Edmund Eramiha (Ngāpuhi) has worked as a model, kapa haka performer, Muay Thai fighter, theatre tutor and television presenter. But since his break-out performance in Lee Tamahori movie Mahana (2016), he is probably best known as an actor. In 2021 Eramiha was nominated for an NZ TV Award for his first leading role in Vegas — as Kingi, a newly appointed gang leader, trying to move his community away from the drug trade. It marked the fourth time Eramiha has worked with director Kiel McNaughton. The pair also collaborated on film The Legend of Baron To'a and TV shows Find Me A Māori Bride and This Is Piki.