Emma Lahana

Career overview

Emma Kate Lahana was born on 27 June 1984 in Auckland, New Zealand. From an early age she pursued a broad range of performing‑arts disciplines, studying ballet and later expanding into jazz, tap and modern dance. She also learned to play the violin, and during her high‑school years she became involved in drama and singing, which led to her first professional audition.

Lahana’s first television breakthrough came when she successfully auditioned for the long‑running New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was cast as Erin Kingston and remained in the role for two seasons. During this period she also performed lead roles in a number of musical productions for the Auckland Community Musical Theatre (ACMT), showcasing both her acting and vocal abilities.

In the early 2000s Lahana transitioned to international projects. She starred in the Disney film You Wish!, released in 2003, and the following year secured a lead part in the television series Power Rangers DinoThunder (2004), portraying Kira Ford, the Yellow Ranger. Since then she has accumulated a varied film and television résumé, with TMDB listing more than thirty acting credits to date. Her career reflects a consistent blend of dance, music and dramatic performance across both New Zealand and global productions.