Ministry of education Autuhi: a creative writing suite for young Māori storytellers
Creative thinking
Autuhi was commissioned to fill a gap in the curriculum for tamariki (children) – creative writing. Ākonga (students) love telling stories but don't necessarily enjoy writing. The suite was designed around this insight, offering five interactive entry points into creative writing – character, setting, plot, prop and reflection pathways – each packed with quick-fire questions, videos, activities and unlockable content accessed by doing the work. An inspiration button was always there to let ākonga summon a random trio of cards whenever they needed a creative spark. Students could create a personal account to save their work – a space that was genuinely theirs, with no teacher access.
Creative doing
As design lead, I led the full scope of the suite – a self-directed learning website, 500 illustrated prompt cards, 100 language activity cards and 20 classroom posters. I coordinated internal teams and external suppliers, oversaw the production of digital and illustrated assets and supported content delivery of audio and video components. Illustrations spanned multiple realities from everyday life in Aotearoa to international realms to the depths of outer space and beyond to stretch the imagination of every young writer.
Creative partners
The full team at HUIA Publishers, illustrators Scott Pearson (Visual Evolution), Isobel Te Aho-White and Pinar Ekinci, and web developer Phill Gray.
The outcome
The resources were well received when testing with students and the physical components were distributed to selected schools. The website – the most ambitious part of the suite – was ultimately housed on an external platform that couldn't support the functionality it was designed around and is no longer live. This remains one of my proudest projects for the design thinking, craft and care that went into it. Even if the digital component didn't get the life it deserved, it showcased what is possible and what can be achieved for ākonga through digital design.
