Māori Language Commission--image-1

UX | UI | Storytelling

Stories of te Reo

Te Reo Māori is a public storytelling campaign that honours the history of the language. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Language Commission engaged us to support a public storytelling campaign that empowers users to collect the stories of their own communities so these kōrero can live on forever.

Client

Māori Language Commission

Year

2022

Goal

Inspire and empower whānau to capture and protect their own stories of intergenerational te reo Māori loss and revitalisation, to increase the public awareness and knowledge of the historical fight for te reo and to provide ways to preserve and honour these stories safely.

Approach

The design process involved Māori language experts, designers, developers and community organisers collaborating to create a safe online space where Māori and non-Māori can contribute their experiences to the history of te reo. A survey sent out to Te Taura Whiri’s Reo Māori database at the beginning of the project informed an initial understanding of how organisations, kura and individuals would engage with the project and captured their concerns and questions.

Further input and feedback from the community was captured through interviews and user/website testing. Ideas and concepts were generated, shared and tested with engaged language learners and experts throughout.

Solution

The bilingual website, Stories of te reo, offers users the unique chance to explore moments in the revitalisation of te reo. It features a timeline that charts pivotal moments of the Māori language and invites New Zealanders to share their journeys of learning te reo Māori. The website is an interactive experience that makes use of sound, video, and animation, bringing to life the characters, stories, and moments that have kept the language alive. Users are invited to upload their own content to ensure these stories, the successes and the sacrifices are never forgotten. The website has gathered 311 personal stories, with 219 historical moments identified. Stories of Te Reo helps all New Zealanders understand the struggles and achievements of the past so that they can continue to value and nurture te reo Māori now and in the future.

Awards and Accolades

Silver Award, Public Sector Campaigns / NGO Equalities, Polaris 2023


Project Images

sotr process
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