Shavaughn Ruakere

Shavaughn Ruakere (born 3 March 1978) is a New Zealand actress and television presenter. She is well known for her roles as presenter on the children's TV show What Now and for playing the role of Roimata Ngatai on the prime-time soap opera Shortland Street.

Early life
Ruakere was born in Hāwera but lived in Ōpunake until her family moved to New Plymouth when she was eight years old. She attended university in Auckland before relocating to Christchurch for a television presenter role on What Now.

Career
Ruakere started out as a presenter for popular children's television shows such as What Now in New Zealand in the late nineties and later on  ITV' s SMTV Live in 2003. Her acting career began with minor roles in the films River Queen (2005) and Sione's Wedding (2006). From 2011 to 2014, Ruakere played the character of Roimata Ngatai on Shortland Street, her most notable television role to date. In 2018, Ruakere was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. She and dancing partner Enrique Johns made it to the grand final, where they were first of the four teams to be eliminated. In 2022, she became the host of New Zealand's edition of FBoy Island.