A Dunedin video game developer has added a te reo Māori translation to a mindfulness game in celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
Technaturally Games managing director John Gillanders had been increasing his knowledge of the language as part of his own development and to give people another way of getting familiar with using the language.
Originally released in 2016, Colibrium is a family-friendly game about blending and matching colours as part of a mindfulness experience.
Mr Gillanders got the help of an officially certified Māori translator based in Ōtautahi (Christchurch).
"I always wanted to translate the game and felt it was most important to ensure that it was translated into te reo Māori since it’s such an important part of our culture here in Aotearoa,’’ he said.
His long-term goal was to become fluent in the language and this was a way to encourage his 5-year-old daughter and whānau to get involved in learning.
He did not believe there were many games on the market in te reo Māori, but hoped that would increase in the future.
"It is great to see a renaissance of the language and so much interest in learning it nowadays, as well as more people such as myself gaining a better understanding of te ao Māori."
He would like the game translated further into Kāi Tahu (local) dialect, but had not found someone on the official registry who was available.
