Te Rūnanga o Moeraki whānau hosted the first screening of the digital pūrākau (traditional narratives) exploring stories connected to the hapu (subtribe).
The short animated videos, in te reo Māori and English, were produced by NAIA — a Māori consultancy firm based in Christchurch.
The series told the story of the great Araiteuru waka and its journey to Hawaiki and back, sailing across the Pacific Ocean with its precious cargo.
"A lot of work goes into these stories, and we couldn’t do it without the generosity of whānau who welcomed us into their takiwā [area] and shared their stories and knowledge."
He said it was only fitting to have had the preview at Moeraki marae, given it was their stories Mr Roberts was bringing to life.
Mr Roberts explained pūrākau were used for centuries by Māori to tell of "amazing feats, heroic tales, romance, wins, losses, adventure and connections".
NAIA delivered a series of wānanga (seminars) to consult with Moeraki whānau and gather their input in creating each digital pūrākau.
"For many years, our knowledge and stories were kept alive through the art of oral storytelling, shared among whānau and passed down over generations," he said.
"In today’s modern age, we need to adapt and find new ways of telling our stories and we are delighted to have done that with these animations."
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere (chairman) Justin Tipa said Moeraki whānau had a "strong sense of pride and excitement" watching the first episode.
"Our culture has never been static, as the world evolves, so does our tikanga.
The first episode, Ngā Utanga o te Waka, telling the story of the Araiteuru waka bringing kumara and taro home to Aotearoa, was available to view on their website He Kōrero.
The second episode, Tūtohu Whenua, would be made available on Friday, August 2.
Mr Roberts hoped the series would encourage people to feel proud about themselves and learn how "amazing our tīpuna were".
