Ngāti Kurī pūrākau animated videos to screen in Kaikōura detail iwi’s migration south

Ngāti Kurī tīpuna’s migration south in digital storytelling form. Image/ Whakaata Māori

The stories of Ngāti Kurī tīpuna’s migration south are coming to life in Kaikōura this week as digital pūrākau on the big screen, detailing the iwi migration.

Māori consultancy NAIA’s chief storyteller Rocky Roberts (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Rarua, Ngāti Hinematua) says the digital form of telling pūrākau is to help those wanting to connect back to their iwi and te ao Māori “who like their information in a shorter form”.

The videos are in 2D animation and are just over five minutes long, and the producing process has been nothing but stellar, Rocky says.

“The people in Kaikōura had confidence that the story we were trying to represent was sold and it was something they agreed with.”

“What we’ve done is build the relationships to start with and then just kept going back and touching base, making sure everyone’s happy with things because we’re showing them a representation of some pretty famous tūpuna.

“It dawned on me as we were going through this process that once they see these animations, in their mind, that’s how our people will look to them.”

Roberts says it could lead to other iwi wanting their pūrākau told in a similar way but he wants the process to remain the same: in the hands of iwi.

“We’re really keen to expand the reach of this kaupapa.

“If you want to look at it in a way, it’s a digital fireplace. Back in the day, we all gathered around the fire at night and tell some stories. We’re building a place where people can go and enjoy.”

The pūrākau are available to watch at hekōrero.nz.