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Discipline

Māori Film

Māui Studios makes Māori film in Aotearoa New Zealand — kaupapa-led short film, music film, documentary and virtual production shot with and for iwi, hapū, marae and cultural partners. Our approach starts with the story owners: whakapapa, tikanga and permissions are agreed before a camera is switched on, and mana over the pūrākau stays with those it belongs to. From te reo Māori scripting and karakia on set through to grade, sound and delivery, every stage is held to the same standard of cultural care as it is of craft. We work across single-camera drama, live-action music film, virtual-production LED-volume shoots, and documentary — often blending them on the same project. Selected work below shows what that looks like in practice: films made with Ngāi Tahu, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui artists, the Ōtākou whakaihu waka, and independent Māori musicians and filmmakers.

Selected Māori Film work

Kauraka E Mataku, Kia Takatū - Hine and Pōua leaning over a map at the dining table, soft natural light from the window behind them
Alpine Fault Magnitude 8 film - landscape backdrop
Film & Cinematography

Kauraka E Mataku, Kia Takatū

2024

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu & AF8 Programme

A 2:55 bilingual short film weaving Ngāi Tahu creation narratives with earth science along the Alpine Fault - co-produced with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the AF8 Programme to help South Island communities prepare for a future magnitude 8 event.

Role

Film & CinematographyCultural StorytellingMotion DesignStrategic Communication

Deliverables

  • Bilingual 2:55 short film (English and te reo Māori)
  • Narrative development weaving mātauranga Māori with earth science
  • On-location and green-screen cinematography (Sony FX6)
  • Edit, grade and delivery for emergency-communication audiences
  • Cultural guidance from pou tikanga and mana whenua

Outcome

Won the EMPA New Zealand Award for Excellence in Emergency Communication 2024 (Readiness and Resilience) - recognised as a benchmark for culturally grounded emergency communication that holds scientific credibility and cultural integrity together.

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He Toi Whakairo - exhibition backdrop
Film & Cinematography

He Toi Whakairo

2026

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

A 5:54 short documentary portrait of master carver Sam Hauwaho (Tūhoe, Te Aitanga a Hauiti) made for Te Papa's He Toi Whakairo exhibition - a cinematic study of whakairo, lineage, and the transmission of mātauranga through one of only two protégés of the late Tohunga Rangi Hetet.

Role

Film & CinematographyCultural StorytellingEditing & Post-ProductionStrategic Communication

Deliverables

  • 5:54 short documentary profile for Te Papa's He Toi Whakairo exhibition
  • Cinematic documentation of Sam Hauwaho's carving process and teaching legacy
  • Exhibition-ready edit tailored to museum visitor flow
  • Integration of archival and contemporary material for intergenerational storytelling
  • Public-facing digital story for exhibition audiences

Outcome

Delivered a cinematography-led portrait that functions as an interpretive layer within the He Toi Whakairo exhibition (2026–2027), recording an active teaching lineage at a moment of transition and strengthening Māui Studios' standing in culturally grounded artist documentaries for museum contexts.

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Lost in the Q - moko-clad figure reclining on a crimson chaise in a violet-lit interior with carved pou and kowhaiwhai lanterns
Music Video & Virtual Production

Lost in the Q (The Weekend)

2022

Rob Ruha / Indigination

A 4:55 music video for Rob Ruha featuring Jhaymeān - a futuristic Māori visual world exploring moko revival, self-reclamation, and the impact of historical distortion on contemporary Māori identity, shot in the Māui Studios LED Volume and across Ōtautahi.

Role

Virtual ProductionFilm & CinematographyToi Māori DesignMotion Design & VFXCultural Storytelling

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.

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Tuakiritaka - hand tracing Te Rauone on a satellite map of the Ōtākou harbour, layered with kowhaiwhai motifs
Film & Cinematography

Tuakiritaka: Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka

2023

University of Otago (via Designworks)

A 14:12 mana-enhancing hero identity film marking the University of Otago's adoption of the identity Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka - bringing together the voices of community, mana whenua, and the university to capture what genuine partnership looks like.

Role

Film & CinematographyMotion DesignOriginal CompositionCultural StorytellingEditing & Colour

Deliverables

  • 14:12 hero identity film (English and te reo Māori)
  • Creative direction, cinematography (Sony FX6) and POV drone work
  • Motion design, original composition, edit and colour
  • Coordination of mana whenua and community contributors
  • Bilingual long-form documentary delivery

Outcome

Delivered a cinematic multi-voice hero film that placed mana whenua and community at the centre of the identity story - produced as a creative partner within Designworks' wider identity programme, which was recognised with a Best Awards Gold for branding.

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Māui Studios Showreel - rangatahi in Land Back jacket with Tino Rangatiratanga flags at dusk
Brand Storytelling & Film

Māui Studios Showreel

2026

Māui Original IP

A self-produced brand film that gathers years of collaborative work into a single piece dedicated to celebrating powerful moments of indigenous storytelling - a public articulation of the studio's kaupapa and a tribute to the talent and indigenous leaders at the heart of every project.

Role

Brand StorytellingFilm & MotionIP & Story DevelopmentVisual DesignCultural Transmission

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.

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Frequently asked

About Māori Film

What makes a film a Māori film?
A Māori film is one made under Māori authorship, tikanga and kaitiakitanga — the story owners hold mana over the narrative, te reo Māori and cultural protocols are honoured on and off set, and Māori creatives lead key creative roles. Casting a Māori actor or shooting in Aotearoa on its own does not make a film a Māori film.
Who owns the story and footage on a Māui Studios film?
The story owners — iwi, hapū, whānau or the artist — hold mana over the pūrākau. Commercial licensing, footage use and archival rights are agreed in writing before production, and we default to shared or restricted rights rather than blanket studio ownership.
Do you shoot in te reo Māori?
Yes. We regularly produce fully te reo Māori, bilingual and English-language films, and we work with reo consultants on scripts, subtitles and on-set direction.
Can Māui Studios handle virtual production and LED-volume shoots?
Yes — we run virtual-production shoots in-house, including LED-volume work, real-time environments and Unreal Engine pipelines. See the Lost in the Q and Ko Māui Hangarau work.

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