Makereta holds the last residency for 2019. She is I-Taukei-born Fijian, from the Noco District of Rewa in Viti Levu. She was adopted by kaivulagi New Zealanders at the age of two and was raised in Devonport, Auckland. She attended Takapuna Grammar School and The University of Auckland.
Makereta has written since childhood but only published her first novel, the neo-Oceanic fantasy, “The Witch of the Pacific”, as an e-book in May 2018. The book is the first in a trilogy. She is currently working on the second of these books, as well as a play about the last days in captivity of the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II. Her residency project is a novel concerning the experiences of Pasifika soldiers who became part of the Maori Contingent to Europe during World War One. “Combined elements from both my biological and adoptive histories drew me to this project. I’m scared and excited in equal measure which I think is a good sign for a new undertaking.”
Makereta is also a portrait painter, a photographer, and a trained singer. Her interests include homesteading, languages, naturopathy, and film. She currently lives on the Awhitu Peninsula in southwest Auckland with her husband.