Proposal for the Whakatau mApp
A Digital Gateway to Mātauranga Māori
Overview
The Whakatau mApp is a transformative mobile application that weaves Mātauranga Māori—the knowledge, values, and traditions of the Māori people—into a cutting-edge digital experience. This app blends Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to offer users an immersive journey through one of Aotearoa’s most cherished narratives.
The mApp is designed as an ethical cultural tool, ensuring that kaupapa Māori principles guide its creation and implementation. It serves as a platform for cultural preservation, education, and innovation, enabling individuals and organisations to engage meaningfully with indigenous knowledge in a contemporary, accessible way.
Key Features
Immersive Mātauranga Māori Experiences
Users explore the legend of Ngā Huinga-a-Mataaho (“the gathered volcanoes of Mataaho”) through interactive AR environments and AI-guided storytelling.
Authentic cultural elements—such as traditional kites, waiata (songs), and wharenui (meeting houses)—are woven into the app’s narrative, preserving the depth and richness of Mātauranga Māori.
Educational Integration
The mApp provides modules that teach users about Māori language, history, and values, aligned with Te Ao Māori perspectives.
Gamified learning encourages users to engage deeply with concepts like whanaungatanga (relationships) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).
Ethically-Driven Design
Developed in collaboration with Māori cultural advisors and iwi to ensure authenticity, inclusivity, and respect.
Upholds intellectual and cultural property rights, empowering Māori communities as co-owners of their stories.
AI-Personalised Learning
Adaptive content responds to users’ interests, offering deeper insights into whakapapa (genealogy), tikanga (customs), and te reo Māori (language).
Mātauranga Māori in Action
At the heart of the Whakatau mApp is a commitment to ensuring that Mātauranga Māori is shared in ways that honour its origins while embracing modern technology. This app is not just a storytelling tool—it’s a living platform for Māori knowledge, fostering deeper understanding and respect for indigenous perspectives among a global audience.
Target Audience
Educational Institutions: Schools and universities seeking innovative tools to teach Aotearoa’s cultural heritage.
Cultural Organisations: Museums and marae aiming to enhance engagement with visitors.
Corporate Stakeholders: Businesses prioritising cultural competency and authentic engagement with Māori values.
Tourism Sector: Operators delivering meaningful, immersive Māori experiences for domestic and international visitors.
Value Proposition
Cultural Integrity: The app ensures Mātauranga Māori is shared authentically, guided by tikanga and kaupapa Māori principles.
Accessible Knowledge: Brings Māori narratives and values to life for learners of all ages and backgrounds.
Ethical Leadership: Establishes a benchmark for incorporating indigenous knowledge into digital innovation.
Customisation Opportunities: Tailored solutions for organisations to integrate the mApp into their programs or events.
Whakatau / mihi as an AR+IQ Experience
Ai modality features and multilingual real-time translations
The AR+IQ platform can transform the traditional whakatau or mihi into an immersive and interactive digital experience, maintaining its cultural authenticity while enhancing accessibility and engagement.
Call to Action
The Whakatau mApp is more than an app—it’s a bridge between tradition and innovation, a celebration of Mātauranga Māori, and a tool for education and cultural empowerment.
Join us in bringing this visionary project to life. Partner with us to inspire, educate, and honour the richness of Māori knowledge.
“Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tīna”
(Seek the distant horizons, and cherish those you attain)
AR+IQ is a revolutionary platform that combines Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and spatial computing to create intelligent, immersive experiences for retail, events, and cultural storytelling. Designed for dynamic user engagement, AR+IQ adapts to real-world environments and user preferences, delivering interactive, multi-user interactions that seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds.
Concept Design
Interactive Digital Environment
Using AR, create a virtual marae (meeting space) where participants can experience the whakatau.
Users enter a digitally rendered wharenui (meeting house) with animated carvings that share stories about Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s history and tikanga (customs).
Deploy AI avatars representing tangata whenua or Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei cultural ambassadors. These avatars can deliver karakia, mihi, and historical narratives in both te reo Māori and other languages based on user preference.
AI enables dynamic responses to user questions, allowing participants to explore Māori tikanga (customs) in depth during the experience.
Guided AR Experience
A virtual host (represented as a Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei figure or cultural ambassador) guides participants through the process, explaining the significance of each element in real time.
AR pop-ups can provide context, translations, and background for terms like karakia, waiata, and kai.
AI-driven translation tools integrated into the AR platform can provide real-time subtitles or audio translations for karakia, waiata, and mihimihi in multiple languages, including English, Mandarin, Spanish, or Pasifika languages.
This ensures inclusivity for non-Māori speakers while maintaining the prominence of te reo Māori.
Personalised Mihimihi
Participants can create an interactive mihimihi profile, incorporating their pepeha (introduction) with prompts for whakapapa (ancestry), location, and identity.
AR visuals dynamically bring their pepeha to life, showcasing maps, family symbols, or cultural elements related to their introduction.
Collaborative Waiata and Karakia
Integrate audio and visual guides to teach participants a waiata, allowing them to practice individually or in groups through an AR experience.
Participants can hear the karakia recited by tangata whenua, with subtitles and phonetic guidance overlaid in AR.
Kai Interaction
Include a virtual kai component where users learn about the significance of traditional Māori food.
AR triggers on actual kai served in the session could overlay information about its preparation and cultural significance.
Cultural Storytelling
The experience weaves in Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s narratives through interactive AR objects like tukutuku panels, carvings, or artefacts, allowing users to explore their stories by touching or scanning these items.
AR Accessibility
Participants who cannot attend the whakatau in person can engage remotely via AR headsets or mobile devices, experiencing a fully immersive virtual whakatau.
Real-Time Connection
Use multi-user AR capabilities to enable participants to interact with one another’s mihimihi and contribute collaboratively to the experience.
Data-Driven Personalisation
The platform can capture user interactions, enabling tailored guidance for newcomers unfamiliar with tikanga Māori or the whakatau process.
Benefits of AR+IQ Whakatau / Mihi
Enhanced Cultural Awareness: Provides an interactive and respectful way to learn about Māori traditions.
Broader Engagement: Allows remote participants to feel included in the welcoming process.
Educational Impact: Offers guided insights into cultural practices and their significance, reinforcing learning outcomes.
Memorable Experience: Creates a deeply immersive, personal, and meaningful connection to Māori culture.
Deployment Suggestions
Pre-Event Orientation
Send participants AR-compatible links or apps ahead of the whakatau to set up and prepare their mihimihi in advance.AR-Integrated Workshops
Align the AR whakatau with broader programme objectives, such as co-creation sessions or community storytelling initiatives.Feedback Mechanisms
Use built-in AR surveys to collect reflections on the experience and refine future iterations.
The Tūpuna Maunga
The Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) of Tāmaki Makaurau are central to Māori pūrākau (legends). One such legend involves the deity Mataaho, considered the guardian of the earth’s secrets. In this narrative, Mataaho’s wife took his clothes and left him, prompting the fire goddess Mahuika to send fire to warm him, resulting in the creation of the region’s volcanoes, collectively known as Ngā Huinga-a-Mataaho (“the gathered volcanoes of Mataaho”).
A classic Ngāti Whātua story is the story of Kiwi Tāmaki and the founding of Ngāti Whātua. This kōrero explains how Ngāti Whātua came to settle in the Auckland region (Tāmaki Makaurau) and their long-standing connection to the land.
The Story of Kiwi Tāmaki and the Battle for Tāmaki Makaurau
One of the most well-known figures in Ngāti Whātua history is Kiwi Tāmaki, a rangatira who controlled the Tāmaki region. In the 17th century, he led Ngāti Whātua in battles to establish dominance over the Auckland isthmus, an area considered highly valuable because of its fertile land and strategic location between the east and west coasts.
Kiwi Tāmaki’s rule came under threat from Te Waiohua, an earlier group inhabiting the region. Eventually, the famous Ngāti Whātua leader Tuperiri led his people to victory over Te Waiohua, securing Ngāti Whātua’s place in the region. This victory established their mana whenua over central Auckland, including the sacred volcanic maunga (mountains) such as Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill).
The Story of Kaipara and the Journey of Tuputupuwhenua
Another important story from Ngāti Whātua history is the migration of Tuputupuwhenua, an early ancestor who traveled up the west coast and settled in Kaipara, one of the iwi’s heartlands. This story is significant because Kaipara remains a stronghold of Ngāti Whātua, particularly Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara.
Ngāti Whātua and the Establishment of Auckland
A more recent and historically significant event was Ngāti Whātua’s role in the founding of Auckland in 1840. The Ngāti Whātua rangatira Āpihai Te Kawau offered land to Governor Hobson to establish the city, leading to the founding of Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) as the capital of New Zealand.
A Cultural & Event mApp incorporated into the AR+IQ platform serves as a dynamic tool for enhancing cultural engagement and providing real-time access to event information. Designed with advanced AR and AI capabilities, the mApp ensures users can interact with cultural narratives, events, and locations in an immersive and accessible way.
Key Features of the Cultural & Event mApp
Interactive Cultural Mapping
Geo-Located AR Overlays: Users can explore locations rich in cultural heritage, where AR markers reveal the history, traditions, and significance of the site. For example:
In the context of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, specific landmarks can feature AR overlays explaining their cultural stories and ties to te ao Māori.
AR Portals: Transport users to digital representations of events or cultural settings. For instance, stepping into a virtual marae via AR can offer an authentic cultural experience from anywhere.
Event Integration
Real-Time Schedules: Users can access a calendar of events, workshops, or cultural gatherings in their area.
Event Reminders and Navigation: Notifications guide participants to events, providing real-time directions and AR navigation.
Live Event Participation: The mApp supports hybrid events, where users can engage in AR experiences or attend virtually with immersive visuals and real-time translations.
Cultural Storytelling and Education
AR Animations: Stories and legends come to life through AR, with animated characters narrating significant events or tikanga.
Interactive Learning Modules: The mApp offers gamified experiences, such as learning te reo Māori through mini-games or solving puzzles related to Māori legends and art.
Pepeha Builder: An integrated tool guides users in creating and sharing their pepeha, with AR visuals that showcase their whakapapa and geographical connections.
AI-Driven Multilingual Accessibility
Real-Time Translations: AI-powered tools translate event content, AR overlays, and storytelling into multiple languages, ensuring inclusivity for non-Māori speakers.
Speech Recognition and Feedback: Users can practice te reo Māori pronunciations, with real-time feedback from the mApp’s AI systems.
Community Engagement and Feedback
Social Sharing: Users can capture AR moments and share them on social platforms, increasing cultural awareness.
Feedback Mechanisms: AI-powered surveys collect user insights to refine event and cultural features.
Example Use Case: Matariki Festival Integration
Pre-Event Engagement
Users can explore Matariki’s history through AR-activated celestial maps that explain the Māori lunar calendar and its relationship with the stars.
During the Event
The mApp provides real-time navigation to Matariki celebrations and interactive guides on traditional practices such as waiata and haka.
AR portals offer a deep dive into the meaning of each star in the Matariki cluster.
Post-Event Reflection
Users can access AR-enabled summaries of the event and engage in reflection tools to deepen their cultural understanding.
Benefits of the Cultural & Event mApp
Increased Cultural Accessibility
The mApp makes Māori culture and events accessible to a global audience while preserving the authenticity and integrity of its narratives.
Enhanced Learning
AR and AI features create a highly engaging environment for learning tikanga and te reo Māori.
Hybrid Event Enablement
Supports both physical and virtual attendees, broadening participation.
Sustainability
Digital event guides and AR overlays reduce the need for printed materials, aligning with eco-conscious values.
Deployment Strategy
Development Platform
Use AR development frameworks like Unity AR Foundation, integrated with Microsoft Azure for AI and cognitive services.
Cultural Partnerships
Collaborate with iwi (tribes), artists, and cultural experts to ensure content authenticity.
Launch and Scalability
Deploy the mApp during major cultural events (e.g., Matariki) to maximise visibility, with plans for scalability across various regions and cultures.
