Māori digital innovator Nikora Ngaropo is taking Indigenous storytelling to the world stage after being named a 2025-2026 Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader.
Ngaropo is the founder and chief executive of Nikora Ngaropo Motion and Design, a digital consultancy specialising in motion graphics, design and 3D animation across education and commercial sectors.
His work blends Māori cultural practices with modern technology, using motion design and digital storytelling to create pathways for rangatahi into the creative and technology industries.
Through initiatives including Young Animators and Toro Academy, Ngaropo has helped introduce more than 10,000 Māori rangatahi to digital storytelling and creative industry career opportunities.
His consultancy was established in 2016 and is guided by a vision of influencing the future of Aotearoa through creativity, education, culture and commerce.
The Obama Foundation says Ngaropo’s work is helping bridge the digital divide by connecting Indigenous culture with innovation and creating inclusive career pathways for Māori youth in the future digital economy.
Ngaropo brings more than 20 years of experience in art direction, animation and design, including time as a technical director at Weta Digital.
His approach places Māori identity, whakapapa and storytelling at the centre of digital innovation, challenging the idea that technology and culture sit in separate worlds.
The recognition comes as demand grows for more Māori-led pathways into digital industries, where rangatahi can face barriers including cost, access to training, lack of industry networks and limited visibility of Māori role models.
Ngaropo’s work points to a future where Māori innovation is not only present in technology and creative industries, but leading them locally and globally.
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