Grassroot efforts to inspire the next generation of digital leaders has seen Rotorua become a titan of the Māori digital tech industry.

Husband and wife team, Potaua and Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, founded Digital Natives Academy (DNA) in 2014 to teach young Māori how to create and develop their own digital tools so they can work in the lucrative tech industry or pursue further tertiary study.

Over 7000 tamariki and rangatahi have now walked through their doors on the corner of Fenton and Hinemoa Street to discover an entirely new world. Students who were completely disengaged from mainstream education now regularly attend class, and those who struggle with behavioural or learning difficulties have found their passion and a deeper sense of self.

“We know we have something special,” explains Nikolasa. “We focus on all things digital to spark curiosity, foster engagement and teach digital skills. The communities we work with know little of the opportunities that digital and creative tech offers. We help open this universe to them and literally give them the chance to dream for the first time.”

Stepping Up

The couple first met at Canterbury University in the late 1990s and travelled the world together before launching a tech company called tangatawhenua.com. Largely self-taught, they created databases, websites and social media campaigns when platforms like Facebook were still in their infancy.

“We realised over time there was a huge gap for our whānau. As we got bigger, we clearly saw no young Māori were going to be in this space. There was no staircase, there was no pathway.”

A 2020 survey by the NZ Game Developers Association revealed that only 3% of game developers in New Zealand were Māori. Similarly, Digital Skills Aotearoa reported that Māori made up just 4% of the country’s IT workforce. Without targeted efforts, Potaua and Nikolasa knew the situation was unlikely to improve.

“We’ve always been in the social enterprise mindset; wanting to create a transformative change. And so it just made sense to move into the non-profit space and launch DNA.”

DNA offers a variety of student workshops and tech training during school terms. It now has a separate tertiary education arm called Native Tech which delivers digital and creative tech foundation NZQA levels 1-4 courses (with plans to offer level 5-7 in future). There is also an onsite digital media studio called Native Industries which provides ākonga (students) with hands-on experience in a professional environment, working on real-world projects.

Embedding Te Ao Māori

All DNA courses embrace a Te Ao Māori worldview. “Our holistic curriculum weaves together digital and creative technology, e-sports and wellbeing with traditional practices such as raranga (weaving), haka, hakinakina (sport) and waiata (song). This unique approach resonates deeply with our learners, providing them with a sense of belonging and purpose.”

Nikolasa says blending the two worlds is authentic and meaningful as youngsters search for their own identity.

“We understand our kids. They’re absolutely geeks. They’re gamers, they’re creators, they’re creatives, which is very much like us and our staff. On the one hand we’re doing virtual reality and Roblox and coding, but then we’re also taking them to Maketu and getting them to understand how Te Arawa came to this place.

“Innovation comes from that cross-pollination – seeing what Te Ao Māori can bring to the digital space and vice versa.”

BayTrust Support

The Biasiny-Tules self-funded DNA for the first four years. But its success led to enormous growth and the need to seek financial help from others.

This year BayTrust has granted $31,624 towards operational costs. This will give hundreds of students the chance to undertake DNA workshops to inspire them towards digital and creative technology careers while fostering emotional intelligence, identity and a sense of belonging.

The grant will also be used to fund a major e-sport event in Rotorua which is expected to attract 300-500 people from across the Ngā Kura ā Iwi education network.

“It’s huge to know that we have local funding support from BayTrust. Knowing that our community see the value in what we do and that they’re behind us, is brilliant.

“We offer all of these programmes free to the schools and communities that we work with. So that means all kids are able to engage. And schools that wouldn’t necessarily have that extra budget, are able to come.”

The Biasiny-Tules are proud of all they have achieved so far. “We appreciate that a kaupapa Māori organisation is getting support. And we are working hard to ensure that our programmes remain impactful and sustainable, nurturing the next generation of digital leaders and transforming the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.”