New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis and actor/director Taika Waititi have been invited to join the Oscar academy in its latest bid to diversify.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars, announced it is enlisting 683 new members after this year's ceremony highlighted an over-representation of white males in the academy.

There was outrage in January when the academy announced its Oscar nominees, with a total absence of black actors. Celebrities started calling for a boycott and the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite dominated social media.

LISTEN ABOVE: Web culture reporter at Vox Media Aja Romano speaks with Rachel Smalley about the Academy's latest move