Ōraka-Aparima Animation & Comic Book

Māui Studios Aotearoa Ltd delivered two connected creative productions for Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka - a Papatipu Rūnaka of Ngāi Tahu based in Murihiku, Southland - comprising a bespoke animation and an illustrated Comic Book, each carrying the cultural identity, stories, and values of the Rūnaka to their community and wider audiences. Ōraka-Aparima encompasses the Ōraka (Colac Bay) and Aparima (Riverton) communities, with deep whakapapa to the southern landscapes and coastal environments of Te Waipounamu.

The two productions were distinct in format and purpose but unified by a shared kaupapa: making the cultural identity of the Rūnaka visible, compelling, and accessible to community members, rangatahi, and the broader public. Together they represent a cluster of iwi creative work - demonstrating Māui Studios' ability to serve a single iwi client across multiple formats while holding consistent cultural care throughout.

The central challenge was carrying Rūnaka identity with integrity. Ōraka-Aparima is not a large national organisation with a public profile - it is a Papatipu Rūnaka deeply embedded in the specific whenua, whakapapa, and relationships of its place in Murihiku. Working for a client of this kind begins with understanding the Rūnaka on their own terms, so the work feels like it belongs to them rather than generic iwi content with their name attached. Running two formats to one kaupapa added the challenge of maintaining cultural and creative coherence across media that operate differently, while the Murihiku specificity - the landscapes, climate, and relationship to the southern ocean - had to be honoured without defaulting to a generic South Island aesthetic.

Ōraka Aparima Runaka Animation

• Bespoke animation - concept, storyboard, character and environment design, animation production, sound design integration, final export
• Rūnaka community members and wider audiences - rangatahi, whānau, and external audiences engaging with the Rūnaka's identity and kaupapa
• Approximately 12 weeks production
• Service Connection: Motion Design, Visual Design, Cultural storytelling, Cultural Transmission

Oraka Aparima Runaka Comic Book

• Illustrated Comic Book - script, character design, illustration, page layout, publishing, print-ready files
• Rūnaka community - rangatahi and tamariki primary audience; also whānau and cultural education contexts
• Approximately 24 weeks production
• Service Connection: Comic Books, Publishing, Visual Design, Cultural storytelling, Cultural Transmission

Māui Studios developed distinct but related visual languages for the animation and the Comic Book - each suited to its format while sharing a common cultural foundation grounded in the identity and landscapes of Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka. For the animation, the production used motion, sound, and visual design to create an experience of the Rūnaka's identity that could be felt as well as understood, with character design, environment, and narrative developed in close consultation with the Rūnaka. For the Comic Book, the studio applied the same care to a format that rewards a slower, more contemplative kind of attention; the 24-week arc allowed illustration developed to the quality appropriate for a publication representing a Rūnaka to its community.

Cultural consultation was embedded throughout both productions, ensuring narrative decisions, visual choices, and language use reflected the tikanga and expectations of the Rūnaka rather than the assumptions of the production team.

Māui Studios delivered two complete, culturally grounded creative productions - a finished animation and a published Comic Book - demonstrating the studio's ability to serve an iwi client across multiple formats within a sustained creative relationship, to a consistent cultural standard and on separate timelines.

Intended Outcomes

• Make the cultural identity, stories, and values of Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka visible and compelling to their community and wider audiences
• Provide rangatahi and tamariki with culturally grounded creative content that reflects their own whakapapa and place
• Support Cultural Transmission - ensuring the knowledge, stories, and identity of the Rūnaka reach the next generation through formats they engage with
• Give the Rūnaka high-quality, durable creative assets for community, educational, and promotional use

Broader Impact

• Demonstrates that Papatipu Rūnaka - community-level iwi bodies - can commission and receive high-quality, culturally specific creative work reflecting their particular identity rather than generic Māori content
• Strengthens Māui Studios' track record across Ngāi Tahu and Murihiku, and the value of multi-format creative relationships with iwi clients

Community engagement and usage data are held by Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka.

• Expanded Comic Book series - further volumes exploring Rūnaka whakapapa, historical events, or contemporary community stories
• Animated series - short-form content extending the characters and visual world developed for the animation
• Educational adaptation - curriculum-linked versions of the Comic Book for local schools and kura
• Community events integration - animation and Comic Book assets used in Rūnaka hui, festivals, and events
• Te reo Māori edition - a fully te reo Māori version of the Comic Book for Māori Medium contexts

• Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. (2024). Papatipu Rūnanga - our people and places. https://www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz/our-people/papatipu-runanga/
• Creative New Zealand. (2024). Investment in Māori arts and culture. https://www.creativenz.govt.nz/find-funding/funding-for-maori-arts