August 12, 2022
App brings Port Waikato hapū history to light
Tainui hapū Ngāti Karewa and Ngāti Tahinga are sharing their histories through an app accessible at their Port Waikato Holiday Park.
The Tūwhiri app uses the voyage of the ancestral waka Te WInika to tell the story and includes interactive rewards such as discounts on park merchandise.
Developer Amber Taylor from digital gaming and storytelling firm Ara says immersive technology is also a way to reconnect whanau who have moved away for mahi.
“It was really important to highlight the place because that’s where that story takes place and the place should really be the star of those stories and bring our history to life,” she says.
Tūwhiri is available on Apple’s App Store.