PRESS RELEASE: Katuku Island ‘The Landing’ coming soon

Haere mai! Come with us on our journey. ALL are welcome. The Landing has begun…

“Katuku Island began as a concept for an indigenous apocalyptic mini-series but evolved into a groundbreaking educational tool that merges gaming with cultural storytelling. Created by educationalists Dr Phyllis Callaghan and her late husband, Craig Callaghan, the game addresses the gap in bringing literacy to technological platforms. Katuku Island empowers Māori students to improve their literacy skills while showcasing Māori creativity, storytelling and innovation.

Trust Tairāwhiti contributed $30,000 at Katuku Island’s launch in 2021 and an additional $10,000 this year to update its mechanics and software to meet evolving industry standards and support global expansion. ‘Funding support from Trust Tairāwhiti has allowed us to stay competitive in the global gaming industry, where costs and innovation are constant challenges’ says Dr Phyllis.

The first version of the game, The Awakening, takes players to Katuku Island, the only uncontaminated haven on Earth. Players create avatars inspired by Māori warriors, build tribes and navigate collapsing cities. Along the way, they face literacy challenges woven into the narrative, testing their knowledge of language features like metaphors, adjectives and nouns, all through a mātauranga Māori lens. This immersive approach blends creativity and problem-solving with indigenous storytelling.

The upcoming version, The Landing, will expand on this, introducing new maps, caves, predators and literacy tasks. The game showcases the collective talent of Tairāwhiti creatives, featuring the work of local artists in whakairo, tāmoko, music, scriptwriting and graphic design.

The Landing begins.. here we are on location in Aotearoa New Zealand, shooting the next part of the Katuku Island series!

‘Our game reflects the individual artistry of our team. Through our pūrakau (stories), we cultivate a rich soil for Indigenous innovation that positions us on global platforms’.

In 2022, Katuku Island won silver at the international NYX Game Awards for best mobile game and best innovation for a mobile game. In addition to its international recognition, Katuku Island has significant national educational impacts. The game inspires rangatahi to explore creative fields like animation, storytelling and design, with many pursuing further education at institutions like Te Puia, Toihoukura and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

‘Our innovation lies in our pūrakau – the ability to tell our own stories. That’s what sets us apart’, says Dr. Phyllis.

She envisions Katuku Island as a global leader in Indigenous gaming.

‘Imagine it evolving into a platform like Fortnite, with a production house in Tairāwhiti employing rangatahi to create skins, characters and episodes. Gisborne could be the hub of Indigenous gaming worldwide’ “.

Trust Tairāwhiti (November, 2024)

RECENT FUNDING | SCHOLARSHIPS

From time to time Katuku Island makes available financial support to our wider community. The following success stories are ones we are very proud of:

From the desk of Dr. Phyl.....

“Congratulations Janice, we here at Katuku Island are immensely proud of your achievements and life-long fitness journey. We look forward to being a part of your journey in 2025!

Katuku Island enjoyed joining hundreds of Kiwis who contributed to the Auckland City Mission Christmas appeal, we’ll look forward to making this a yearly event :)

Congratulations Malachi, great to see young people being ambassadors on and off the field for Te Ao Māori, look forward to taking part in your sporting and Kaitiaki journey in 2025”.