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Educational Platform + Comic·2022–2023

Te Haerenga

Orion New Zealand Limited

Māori IllustrationMāori ComicsMāori Graphic Novels

A culturally grounded energy-education comic and pūrākau for Orion NZ, connecting rangatahi to renewable energy through te ao Māori storytelling.

Te Haerenga comic book cover artwork
Te Haerenga village guide encounter scene
Te Haerenga comic spread featuring Papatūānuku
Te Haerenga comic spread with rangatahi exploring the treehouse interior
Te Haerenga village girl renewable energy learning scene
Te Haerenga comic introduction spread
Te Haerenga village guy training scene

Role

Strategic CommunicationVisual DesignIP & Story DevelopmentImmersive Design

Deliverables

  • Comic book / pūrākau introducing rangatahi to renewable energy
  • Story framework linking Atua, local assets, and infrastructure
  • Quest-based learning concept direction
  • Strategic vision for digital twin city learning

Outcome

Publicly cited by Orion New Zealand Limited in their June 2023 Climate Change Commission submission - an independent, documented endorsement of a culturally grounded framework now positioned for regional and digital-twin expansion.

Project Overview

Te Haerenga is a culturally grounded education concept commissioned by Orion New Zealand Limited - Canterbury's electricity distribution company - to connect rangatahi with Aotearoa's natural energy assets through te ao Māori storytelling. Māui Studios Aotearoa shaped the concept and its narrative world; it was developed in collaboration with Energy Academy.

The concept uses the language of Atua, pūrākau, community responsibility, and environmental guardianship to help young people see energy and infrastructure as part of their community, environment, and identity - rather than as a distant or purely technical field. At the time of delivery it took the form of a comic book / pūrākau set in the near future, following two inquisitive rangatahi prompted by an ailing Papatūānuku to seek knowledge about renewable energy, work alongside other rangatahi, and learn from Atua and field experts.

The central challenge was translating the often abstract world of energy infrastructure into a format that felt relevant and culturally meaningful for rangatahi, while bridging te ao Māori narrative frameworks with future-facing energy learning - treating whenua and community knowledge with respect while making room for engineering, sustainability, and systems thinking. The longer-term vision was to grow this into a platform where learners could engage with real energy challenges, industry mentors, and digital twin representations of regional energy assets.

SOW Snapshot

Core Deliverables:

  • Comic book / pūrākau introducing rangatahi to renewable energy through te ao Māori storytelling
  • Story framework linking Atua, local energy assets, community voices, and infrastructure systems
  • Early concept direction for quest-based learning experiences
  • Strategic vision for future digital twin cities representing local energy systems

Audience: Tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa schools; future learners interested in energy and infrastructure careers; kaiako, mentors, and community learning environments.

Format: Comic book (immediate deliverable) / educational platform concept (future direction).

Timeframe: 2022–2023.

Key Requirements: Cultural grounding in te ao Māori, age-appropriate narrative, energy-sector accuracy, scalability for future digital-twin expansion.

Service Connection: Comic Book, Visual Design, Strategic Communication, IP Creation and Story Development, Immersive Design and Websites & Apps (future platform direction).

Outcomes

The immediate outcome was a complete, culturally grounded energy-learning concept anchored in a comic book / pūrākau format - a clear narrative foundation that introduces renewable energy, environmental care, and infrastructure thinking through character and story rather than technical content alone.

Just as importantly, the project established a platform logic for future expansion, framing energy education not as passive information delivery but as an invitation for rangatahi to become problem-solvers and future contributors to local and national energy systems.

Orion New Zealand Limited publicly cited Te Haerenga in its June 2023 submission to the Climate Change Commission, describing it as a quest-based journey for tamariki and rangatahi to collaborate on positive energy solutions for their community and environment (Orion Group, 2023). This stands as an independent, documented endorsement of a culturally grounded framework now positioned for regional and digital-twin expansion.

Impact Metrics

Intended Outcomes

  • Strengthen rangatahi understanding of local and national energy systems
  • Connect renewable infrastructure learning to te ao Māori and local story
  • Encourage interest in energy and infrastructure careers among tamariki and rangatahi
  • Support environmental responsibility through culturally grounded education

Delivery Milestones

  • Completion of the comic book / pūrākau introducing rangatahi to renewable energy through story
  • Establishment of the quest-based learning framework and digital-twin concept for future expansion
  • A collaboration model connecting cultural storytelling, education, and energy-sector relevance

Broader Impact

  • Positioned energy learning as culturally grounded rather than purely technical, and infrastructure as community stewardship
  • Created a bridge between renewable-energy education, story, and career imagination
  • Provided a scalable concept for regionally specific energy-learning platforms
  • Landed at the moment Aotearoa's electricity transition is accelerating: 88.1% of generation came from renewable sources in 2023, easing to 85.5% in 2024 during a dry hydro year, before the December 2025 quarter set a record at 96.4% - the highest quarterly share on record (MBIE, 2025; MBIE, 2026). Wind capacity nearly doubled over the period, from 691 MW in 2020 to 1,269 MW in 2024 (MBIE, 2025)

Future Opportunities

The clearest next step is the development of digital twin city environments that let rangatahi explore local energy systems, test interventions, and learn from mentors in the field - aligning with national digital-strategy thinking on the role of digital twins in infrastructure understanding (Department of Internal Affairs, 2022; MBIE, 2024).

Because the concept is built around local energy assets, local stories, and community messages, there is strong scope for regional adaptation across different rohe, each with its own infrastructure mix, Atua associations, and community priorities.

As Aotearoa's energy system continues its shift toward renewables and more complex infrastructure planning, Te Haerenga offers a scalable model for helping young people understand not just how energy works, but why it matters to their future, their place, and their people.

References

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