Hanga Auaha Ki Te Mutunga Kore™

(01) — The Studio

Create IP, assets, and systems that carry culture forward.

Māui Studios is an indigenous-led creative production studio working across design, film, animation, comics, and immersive technology.

We work with partners who need cultural depth, strategic clarity, and production excellence.

(02) — Selected work

Recent case studies

TUWHIRI cube satellites in orbit above a magenta-lit Earth, with the Ātea, Tohu and Te Pō colour names below
TUWHIRI logo suite - horizon, molecule, magnifying glass and stacked lockups across light, magenta and indigo backgrounds
TUWHIRI wordmark detail - indigo lockup on Signal Magenta with poutama pattern, and the full molecule lockup reversed on deep indigo
TUWHIRI colour palette - Ātea Orbital Light, Tohu Signal Magenta and Te Pō Deep Space Indigo with hex, RGB, CMYK and HSB values, plus cube sat, patch and sticker applications
TUWHIRI symbol breakdown - ozone molecule, outer space horizon, celestial bodies, cube sat, magnifying glass, poutama and koru
Brand Identity + Science Communication

TUWHIRI Research Initiative Brand Identity

2026

Te Whai Ao - Dodd-Walls Centre / University of Otago

A logo suite and light visual identity for a new photonics and atmospheric science research initiative at Te Whai Ao - Dodd-Walls Centre, delivered alongside a design-level review of two bilingual candidate names ahead of the 19 July 2026 kickoff.

Role

Brand IdentityName Direction ReviewCultural ConsultationVisual DesignPrint Production

Deliverables

  • Design-level name direction check across TUWHIRI and ARONUI
  • Up to three initial logo concepts exploring ozone, molecule and optical forms
  • Final logo suite - primary, horizontal, stacked, icon-only, one-colour and reversed
  • Accessible colour palette and typography direction
  • Print-ready pin and sticker files (vector, transparent PNG, PDF)
  • Mini brand sheet with usage notes and small-format guidance

Outcome

A resolved, culturally reviewed identity delivered ahead of the kickoff meeting - built on the ozone molecule and the initiative's three-part collaborative structure, with production files supplied directly to pin and sticker supplier specification.

Te Ao Mārama whare manaaki exterior - tāniko maihi and entry steps
Whare manaaki interior - Tuakiritanga identity wall artworks lining the side walls
Kitchen and Kia Tipu, Kia Ora te Rangatahi artwork inside the whare manaaki
Toi Māori Design

Barnardos Whare Manaaki Artwork

2026

Barnardos Aotearoa

Toi Māori design elements for a new Barnardos whare manaaki in Ōtautahi - a kaupapa Māori artwork programme, developed with mana whenua, that turns a care environment into a culturally affirming space of dignity, connection, and hope for rangatahi and their whānau.

Role

Visual DesignCultural StorytellingIP Creation & Story DevelopmentEnvironmental DesignStrategic Communication

Deliverables

  • Exterior whare artwork - tāniko across the maihi; taniko and haehae window frosting
  • Interior entrance artwork - poutama and tukutuku
  • Interior wall artwork series, including the Tuakiritanga identity wall
  • Culminating ninth artwork - Kia Tipu, Kia Ora te Rangatahi
  • Design, artwork production, and installation-ready files

Outcome

A whare manaaki transformed into a culturally affirming environment - one connected te ao Māori narrative across exterior, entrance, and interior surfaces, developed with mana whenua, intended to help rangatahi step toward restoration, support, and belonging.

Māui Card Game home screen with Enter the Gauntlet
In-game Taonga battle fields with Whawhai war system
Next challenger screen - Tupuānuku, rung 4 of 9
Pūkaha Rautaki strategy card reveal
Mana Crusher Rautaki strategy card reveal
Victory screen - You defeated Ururangi
Game Design & Dev

Māui Card Game

2026

Māui Original IP

A single-player digital strategy card game grounded in Māori mythology - pitting the player against AI opponents in a tactical battle of Toa warriors and Taonga treasures, with formations, avatar perks, and a distinctive War / Whawhai battle system.

Role

Game DesignInteractive DevelopmentWebsites and AppsVisual DesignIP Creation and Story DevelopmentCultural Storytelling

Deliverables

  • 60-card deck with 6 colours × 10 Ihi values, each a unique Toa warrior
  • 7-row Taonga board with formation-based claiming
  • War / Whawhai turn-based battle system with boost tokens
  • 13 Rautaki strategy cards (Pūkaha, Taniwha, Wā Kai, Nekeneke)
  • Eight atua-aligned avatars with runtime perks, plus Māui boss and New Game + final boss
  • Gauntlet mode and built-in Learn to Play tutorial
  • React 19 + TanStack Start edge-deployed web build with i18n architecture for te reo Māori

Outcome

A polished single-player strategy card game that holds cultural depth and tactical richness in one product - establishing a distinctive original IP for Māui Studios that fuses Māori mythology with contemporary strategy gaming through self-determined cultural expression.

View all case studies →

(03) — Recent films

From Māuiflix

View all films →

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