| Tane Parata | |||||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Ethan Browne | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2020– | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 10 February 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||||||
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Tane Parata is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Ethan Browne. The character made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 10 February 2020. Tane is Browne's first television acting role after graduating from drama school. The character was introduced as a part of the first Māori family to feature in the show. The family consists of his brother, Ari Parata (Rob Kipa-Williams), his nephew Nikau Parata (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) and his sister-in-law, Gemma Parata (Bree Peters). The family arrive in the town of Summer Bay to begin a new life, despite their tragic past. As the show's first Māori family, the actors involved strived to make them an authentic representation of the culture. Tane is characterised as a "cheeky" and "mischievous" man, he is "family-orientated" but often rebels against his brother, Ari. Writers have developed Tane from being a thief to a more responsible character, making him the owner of the local gym and head of the Parata family. Tane passes on his Māori warrior traditions to Nikau via the Taiaha, a traditional fighting staff. Browne and Fox-Reo thoroughly researched the storyline. Browne continued to praise the show throughout his duration for their commitment to providing an authentic portrayal of Māori culture. Episodes also feature the Te reo Māori language, haka's and a Tangihanga for Ari's death.
Tane has been given numerous dramatic storylines in his short tenure; he has survived being nearly beaten to death, poisoned, stalked and two stabbings. He has also been threatened into committing crimes by a drug gang, been held hostage amidst a chemical attack and has even worked with the police to bring down a biker gang. He has romanced both Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir) and Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman). He has endured a failed wedding and a failed marriage - both via his relationship with Felicity Newman (Jacqui Purvis). Writers developed Tane and Felicity's relationship for nearly three years. They explored their marriage plans and Felicity's reluctance to commit to Tane. They centred the 2022 series finale on their first failed wedding, which was ruined by a car explosion. Their second wedding occurred during Episode 8000 and featured various Māori traditions. Writers portrayed the marriage as problematic due to Felicity's sexual assault and her reluctance to have children with Tane, the latter which caused their final break-up.
In 2024, writers rejuvenated Tane by exploring his need for children. He finds an abandoned baby, Maia, who he attempts to foster. Forbidden from fostering her, Tane steals her from the hospital, which results in him nearly being incarcerated. Writers created a pregnancy storyline with his friend, Harper Matheson (Jessica Redmayne) and explored Tane's mentorship of Perri Hayes (Cantona Stewart), who he becomes a "father figure" to. Tane has been well received by critics of the genre, partly due to his appearance and "bad boy" persona. He has also been praised as a reformed character, due to his journey to becoming head of the Parata family. His relationship with Felicity was favoured by viewers and some critics. Others noted that Tane received a large number of storylines during his tenure and endured many traumas.