DNA's Get Into Games team streamed to over 15,000 students around Aotearoa.
DNA's Get Into Games team streamed to over 15,000 students around Aotearoa.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
E tika ana tā Apirana kōrero, tāna e kī ai, ko ngā ringaringa ki ngā taonga o te ao hou. Anei tātau te Māori, he iwi pakiki, he ringa whāwhā, he iwi hiakai hoki ki ngā hua o te ao hou. Nāreira ngā painga katoa ka puta i te whare o Digital Natives Academy, he aha rā. He whare whakahirahira tēnei e whakawhanake ai te wairua atamai o te hunga hiakai nui ki ngā kame o te ao rorohiko. E pūare ana ngā whatitoka o te whare ki te rangatahi ināia tonu nei, kāore he nama, kāhore he utu, nō reira tēnei te karanga atu ki te iwi. Haere mai, nau mai.
He wānanga whakawhanake pūkenga, he kura amo i ngā tumanako o te ngākau e hono atu ai ngā rangatahi ki te ao hou me te ao e takahia nei e tātau e anga pū ana ki te ao matihiko me te wāhi pūnaha rorohiko hai pou hāpai, hai pou mahi, otīā hai pou kaiāwha mā te iwi. Kua eke noa a Potaua Biasiny-Tule me tōna makau rangatira a Nikolasa ki te rua tekau o ngā tau ki tēnei ao. Nō rāua te whakaaro ki te whakaara ake i tēnei wānanga whakahirahira ko Digital Natives Academy. Kai te taumata taratī hoki rāua.
I whai wāhi ai a Kāhu ki Rotorua ki tēnei tokorua i te tau kua pāhemo, wheoi anō e tika ana ki a hoki mātau ki te noho anō ki a rāua ki a kite e tupu pēwhea nei tēnei tokorua. Whai hoki he aha pea ngā moemoeā whei nā kai te pae o tēnei tau hou. Kāti. Kai te kimi pou-mahi rāua, ka rua, kai te neke whare hoki rātau ki tētehi o ngā whare nui kai te tiriti o Fenton, ko te pēke tawhito o ANZ. Hai te Pēpuere ā tata nei. ' Hai te kotahi tekau mā ono timata ai tēnei wānanga hou. E pūare ana ki te hunga rangatahi kotahi tekau mā ono te pakeke tae ki te rua tekau mā wha te pakeke’. Hai tā Potaua. ' E rua a mātau pōkai ia tau, e rua tekau wiki te roa o te wānanga, kua whakaarongia ngā rā whakanā hoki’. He ahakoa ko te tau tuatahi nui tēnei e whakarewa ai tēnei wānanga, kua niho roa kē rāua me tā rātau kawe iho i tā wānanga whakamātautau.
Kua waimārie māua i a Morehu Ransfield , tētehi mātanga nui kai te kāreti o Spotswood ki Ngāmotu , ā, kua hono atu hoki māua ki a Victory Up me Ngāti Gaming. He kitenga nō māua i te hiahia o te rangatahi ki tēnei mātauranga, engari auare ake ngā kura wānanga ki te tāone nei.
' E noho taumaha nei tātau te iwi Māori, kāore e nui ana te moni, kāore hoki i a tātau ngā rorohiko tika me ngā kame hoki, engari ko te mea nui kai te ngaro i a tātau ringaringa ko te mātauranga me ngā pou-ako e rangatira ai rātau i tēnei ao matihiko’. Hai tā Potaua.
Ngā kura a iwi come from across the motu to DNA to compete in a full te reo Māori Minecraft competition.
‘Koia nei te mana o tēnei wānanga. He whāngai, he tuku mōhiohio, he tuku mātauranga ki ēnei tauwira. Ka rua he kaupare i a rātau ki a oti tika, kia oti pai hoki i a rātau te wānanga e puta ai rātau ki te ātea nui o te ao hou, hai rangatira o te ao hou’. Ka nui hoki ngā painga o tēnei kaupapa. Mātua, he waka mō te hunga rangatahi mō te iwi me te whānau otīā te hāpori whānui tonu.’ Ko te Poutokomanawa o tō rātau whare, nā ko te rangatahi e kōrerongia e ahau, kia kaha rai ātau ki te whakatakoto rautaki. Engari me he rautaki whai mana e tū teitei ai te hāpori whānui tonu. Ko te kōrero nui pea, kāua e kahakina. Me uaua kē e kite ai te wairua whiwhita o te tangata – ko tā Native Tech, he whakatīnana, he whakaū i taua moemoeā, i taua ahikā o te tauira hai tūāpapa whakahirahira mōna.’
E hoa inā te nui o te mana o tēnei whakaaro, he ahakoa kāore anō ki a oma te hoiho,kua tae tōna hau rongo ki ngā tōpito o te motu, me te karanga ki a Potaua me tōna hoa kia haria e rāua tēnei waka, engari e mea ana te ngākau, kāhore. Kia paiakangia te kaupapa ki te Rotorua nui a Kahu, kātahi pea ka whakamanangia te reo o iwi kē atu. Ko te whakaaro tuatahi he whakahanahana i te wairua pakiki o te hunga rangatahi, kai reira te ūnga mātua.
' Ko te pae tawhiti he tuku mātauranga, he tuku mōhiohio ki ngā tauira nei ki a tū pakeke ai rātau ki tēnei ao hurihuri hai aha? Hai mātanga matihiko, hai mātanga pūnaha rorohiko’. Koia tēnei te tikanga o tēnei waka, he whakamana i ngā uri rangatahi me te hunga hiakai ki te mātauranga hou nei kia tū ai rātau hai tia raukura o te ūpoko hirahira o Rangitihi. He mōhio hoki nō Potaua ki te wairua o tēnei momo tangata e kī ana e ētehi, ' he tapawhā', nā te mea ko ia tonu tētehi. E ai ki a Potaua ( Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Niue) ko te kaupapa o tēnei whare, he whakatutuki i te kōrero, mate atu he tētēkura, haramai rā he tētētkura, engari hai tētēkura ki te ao pūnaha rorohiko. He oranga hoki nō te wā o te mate urutā. ' Kātahi te tangata ka kite atu i te mana ikeike o te ao o te ipurangi, pūare kau ana ngā kokonga o te ao ki a tātau katoa e noho tapu ana. Ko te mea kē ki ahau, me tae hoki te Māori ki taua taumata hai reo kawe i tō tātau ao rangatira ki ngā pou huriropa o te ao e takoto nei’.
— Na Raimona Peni i whakamaori.
Rangatahi who love to tutu at gaming can expand their horizons and learn essential job skills.
This innovative training for 16 to 24-year-olds is happening right here in Rotorua, and best of all, there are no fees.
Native Tech is a bridging programme developed by Digital Natives Academy (DNA).
It offers training and microcredentials which help rangatahi connect with local knowledge and global opportunities, allowing them a space and place to access essential job skills, support, mentorship, pastoral care, and a sense of belonging while illuminating pathways into the IT/digital/creative tech workforce.
Potaua Biasiny-Tule and his wife Nikolasa have been working in this field for at least 20 years. They founded Digital Natives Academy Chartiable Trust, and Native Tech is their newest social enterprise.
Kahu ki Rotorua spoke to Potaua last year, and recently reconnected to see how things are going and what plans they have for 2023.
DNA is looking for staff and will be operating from much bigger premises at the old ANZ Bank site in Fenton Street, Rotorua, from February 1.
“Our programme starts at the end of March and is open to ages 16 - 24,” said Potaua.
“We have two intakes each year, and the programme is 20 weeks long (including holiday breaks).”
Although this is the first year DNA will be offering the programme, it has been running a pilot scheme.
“This is our first year, but we have been piloting this programme in collaboration with Morehu Ransfield, a visionary teacher and educator at Spotswood College in New Plymouth, alongside Victory Up and Ngāti Gaming.”
DNA saw a need for a programme to help rangatahi gain the skills and confidence to move forward.
“Rangatahi Māori don’t have access to the tech needed or to the type of training and mentorship needed to gain the skills they need to excel in this space,” said Potaua. “With NZMA and Yoobee both closing their campuses in Rotorua, there are few digital and creative tech pathways available to rangatahi.”
“Native Tech is about offering access to much-needed microcredentials, as well as the type of pastoral care needed to successfully transition rangatahi into further education, training and employment.”
The immediate beneficiaries are rangatahi Māori, ngā iwi Māori, whānau, and the wider community.
“Ensuring rangatahi have a plan and are engaged and respected will lead to benefits felt throughout the wider community.
“Finding one’s purpose takes time - Native Tech’s goal is to help make this possible by helping to create pathways that rangatahi can follow to allow them to make their dreams and aspirations into reality.”
Even before it has begun, the programme has attracted interest from around the motu, but at this stage, Native Tech will operate out of Rotorua.
“At the moment we are based out of Rotorua, but over time we are working on scaling our programmes to hubs across Aotearoa.”
In the short-term, the goal is to reignite our rangatahi’s love of learning.
“Long-term, it is to give them the tools to become creators, developers and innovators of digital and creative tech, so they can make their mark as Māori, as New Zealanders.”
DNA and its programmes were started in 2014 with a goal to empower the next generation of digital leaders.
Potaua (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Niuean) knows how geeky rangatahi with a penchant for gaming feel, because he is one himself.
For him, Native Tech is about actively creating the next generation of digital leaders. Even the Covid-19 pandemic has an upside for him.
“Covid reminded the world how important digital is, but equally important is ensuring that Māori are actively involved in the development of tech to ensure it reflects te ao Māori.”
