Ngāti Te Whiti.

Nau mai haere mai

A 13 minute promotional video which dives into the essence of Taranaki and honours mana whenua was created and launched to play at Puke Ariki, sharing the region’s stories with visitors.

The project initiated by Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki in collaboration with Ngāti Te Whiti, NPDC’s Puke Ariki and New Plymouth Partners had a goal to create a regionally specific and culturally authentic welcome for visitors.

Our long-standing relationship with Venture Taranaki and New Plymouth Partners meant that we were honoured to play a part in collaborating and creating the video. It was a privilege to support hapū capturing the essence of our people and place and connecting this with our visitors.

We produced script and storyboard and undertook feedback and approvals across all of the key stakeholders. Location scouting was initiated and we learnt about areas of significance. We filmed across multiple days and engaged Tania Niwa for drone footage.

The video opens with the sound of Pūkaia, symbolising a call to alert the living and ancestors, as we get to see the iconic Nga Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands up close and personal. The karanga delivered by Te Raumahora Healey-Raharuhi Hema, acknowledges guests, connecting to the living to the departed and recognising Ngāti Te Whiti as guardians of the land. The wider regional content has been repurposed from the Taranaki Story asset library that we delivered in 2021.