Founded in 2022, Hanga Maken Studio are a small group of developers based in Wellington, New Zealand. Comprised of Tuakana Metuarau and Hunter Mulder. Both graduates of Te Herenga Waka Victoria’s Design School, the pair have taught together in the Schools Game Design program for the past 5 years.
Alongside their teaching, together they have developed games and prototypes with a focus on representation. Their games take a look at the variety of cultures within New Zealand and frame those within a blend of the various mediums and genres that inspire them.
They have received funding for a various number of their projects and are currently in the development of their first commercial project.
Tuakana Metuarau
Tuakana Metuarau is a lecturer at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University, he is also a filmmaker, animator and game developer. Of Cook Island Maori and Maori descent, Tuakana’s main research interests are film, animation and video games or more specifically how these mediums can be used to tell Maori and Pasifika stories.
Hunter Mulder
Hunter is a PhD student at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington School of Architecture and Design, studying the intersection of human computer interface (HCI) and game design, specifically how HCI can be expanded to design games for people with sensory disabilities.
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