Koi Digital formed from a deep love and respect for Te Ao Māori, our Te Moana Nui ā Kiwa heritage and the desire to empower communities via the exciting potential of digital creative arts.
We are parents and we see how our tamariki are immersed and captivated by technology (to be fair, adults and parents too). How do we leverage this powerful and exciting technology to reflect and share our culture, our heroes, our communities. How do we do so, in a way that is safe and authentic?
Our moemoeā (dream/vision), is for Māori and Pasifika communities to journey beyond their artistic, creative and innovative potential. To ride the waves that still flow back from our Tūpuna Waka and once again lead innovation, exploration and mātauranga. To bring the wisdom and values of their time to the world and digital tools of our time.
Rio has over 20 years of experience as a leading artist in NZ’s music and entertainment sector – publishing award-winning original music and performing internationally. He is the lead vision-holder for Koi Digital’s Titans of Aotearoa original IP, and has recently added a Masters in Technological Futures to his kete.
Kristy is a multi-disciplinary designer with 20 years of technology and design experience in NZ’s arts and cultural sectors. She has on-the-tools skillsets which span multimedia, visual design, animation, coding, UI, UX and 3D modelling.
To undertake our Koi Digital mahi, we form a project team and co-create together within a Māori-led context.
We co-design, collaborate and develop kaupapa/projects with expert practitioners from within our hapū, iwi and the wider Māori community, across wide-ranging disciplines – from storyboard artists and historians, to architects and ocean navigators, to kaiwhakairo and kaiako.
We have also developed meaningful partnerships with diverse experts from the wider Aotearoa and global community,
We love this way of working, and have found that bringing people together in this way adds a high level of depth and richness to the project and the work produced.
