Client

Taumata Arowai

Work

Māori illustration, Story telling through a Te Ao Māori lens on Te hurihanga wai.

Brief

Taumata Arowai are New Zealander’s water protection agency. Their role sits in the kaupapa of protecting the health of te wai, and the health of te tangata, in balance: ko wai, ko au, ko tātou. Illustrating the water cycle through the Te Ao Māori lens, Wonderlab supported their story telling at various field days, events and online too. A close collaboration with the client,  Māori illustrators and young Māori artist ensured an authentic result. Ka rawe!

A young boy is holding up a coloring book.
A drawing of a night sky with a moon and stars.
An illustration of a mountain, a lake, and a mermaid.
A sheet of paper with a drawing on it.
The logo for ranganui and papapapanui.
An image of a woman holding a baby with the word hermona on it.
A person holding an iphone with an image of a whale on it.
An image of a mountain with a dragon on it.
A set of playing cards with illustrations on them.
The zodiac sign of hindao is shown in the sky.
The zodiac sign of tangerine with a woman in the water.
An image of a woman with a net in the sky.
The back of a man wearing a blue t - shirt.
A set of business cards with a blue and white design.
A roll up banner with people walking in front of it.
The objectives

Collaborate for an authentic result, spanning the Pākāhā and Te Ao Māori worlds.

The goal

Using illustration to show the Te Ao Māori view the cycle of water. Personifying each state as water changes to condensation, precipitation, rain, rivers, lakes and oceans…

The process

We worked with two illustrators to collaborate closely between the Pākēhā and Māori world. A unique piece of work that represents both.

The deliverables

The water cycle illustration was featured on diverse materials, including pull-up banners and colouring sheets. It also made appearances on social media posts among other platforms. All gods and maidens were labelled in both Te Reo and English for clarity.

Outcome

Visual story telling through inter cultural collaboration.