Māori Creative Studio & Agency

Role

Deliverables

• -Original short-form brand film (approx. 3 minutes)
• -Narrative script and voice-over treatment
• -Archival selection and re-grade of prior project footage
• -Bilingual title and caption design
• -Social and presentation-format exports
• -Coordinated release across the studio's owned channels

Outcome

Delivered a public-facing celebration of indigenous storytelling that now functions as a brand asset, a tribute to collaborators and indigenous leaders, and a proof asset for proposals and procurement - and a reference piece for the studio's storytelling thesis that holding fast to culture and tikanga is itself the path to success.

Role

Deliverables

• -Primary tohu drawing together pouwhenua, the hiwi of the waka taua, and the korowai
• -Wordmark, full lockup, and standalone logomark
• -Primary colour palette with monochromatic treatments and typography system
• -Per-pou colourways for Te Taiao, Hauora, Kaupapa Māori, and Rangatahi
• -Brand collateral - letterhead, digital watermark, pull-up banners, email signature, display picture, favicon
• -Brand guidelines deck with alternative layouts and image-treatment guidance

Outcome

A cohesive kaupapa Māori brand system that honours whakapapa and place while signalling growth - flexible enough to express the trust's five pou through dedicated colourways, and ready for application across letterheads, banners, digital channels, and signage.

Role

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.

Role

Deliverables

• -Master brand tohu and visual identity direction
• -Conceptual narrative framework binding three kaupapa into one whakapapa
• -Facilitated wānanga sessions with the Te Ao Matihiko leadership
• -Cross-platform application guidance - social, digital, and print
• -Colour system: Matihiko Pink, Matihiko Purple, Matihiko Red, and Pō / Black

Outcome

A recognisable, culturally authoritative master brand that unifies three kaupapa streams into one coherent visual narrative - a living digital whakapapa expressed through a manaia-kaitiaki tohu, a confident wordmark, and a versatile colour system.

Role

Deliverables

• -Brand identity system for Ko Māui Hangarau
• -Character design - Māui and Waihiko
• -Typography and wordmark using organic brush styling
• -Sleek visual design system for event and programme application
• -Brand application across summit, digital, and education touchpoints

Outcome

A distinctive, culturally grounded brand identity - Māui and Waihiko as character anchors, an organic brush typographic system, and a sleek visual system - capable of carrying the programme across summits, partner channels, education touchpoints, and digital deployment.

Role

Deliverables

• -Consultation and editing across 1,600+ lines of dialogue for linguistic and cultural accuracy
• -Chin moko design inspired by Tūmatauenga, featuring mangōpare (hammerhead shark) motifs
• -Jacket patch art and visual references for base and legendary skins
• -Performance and animation workshops - facial expressions, gestures, body movement
• -A bespoke haka written for the character, featured in the 'Judgment' Stories from the Outlands trailer
• -User Guide documentation to support Respawn's implementation of cultural content

Outcome

A Māori Legend launched in Apex Legends Season 12 'Defiance' (February 2022) with cultural elements developed through genuine partnership - establishing Māui Studios as a cultural consultancy able to operate at AAA scale with a major international studio.

Role

Deliverables

• -One completed music video (4:55) through a full cinematic pipeline
• -Direction, cinematography, edit and grade
• -VFX and virtual-production technical support
• -Toi Māori design, set build, lighting and makeup
• -Director-led futuristic Māori worldbuilding

Outcome

Fused waiata, speculative visual storytelling, and toi Māori design into a single screen experience where te ao Māori is felt, seen, and heard in every frame - helping establish a stronger visual language for Māori futurist screen work.

Role

Deliverables

• -20+ minute immersive VR / MR animated experience
• -First-person narrative structure with user as participant and witness
• -Storyworld centred on Io, Tāne, and Whiro - a mythic arc of conflict, transformation, and restoration
• -Full production pipeline: illustrated concept, animatics, narrated sequences, motion-captured 3D characters, interactive gameplay, orchestral score, spatial sound
• -Built in Unreal Engine and delivered as an immersive showcase

Outcome

A showcase-ready proof of concept for immersive indigenous storytelling - combining high-end real-time production methods with symbolic narrative to demonstrate immersive technology used for culturally resonant, emotionally powerful storytelling rather than simulation.