SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 22 July 2024 - Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua and Hidden are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership that will help promote local stories on the global stage by using Hidden's innovative digital storytelling platform.

Hidden, a fast-growing Singapore-based social enterprise specialising in immersive games, has received a significant investment from Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua as part of their joint efforts to create innovative ways for visitors to learn about and deepen their connection with Māori heritage through new interactive experiences in New Zealand.

Under this agreement, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua will receive equity in privately-held Hidden and hold a director position in the Singapore company's board of directors.

In return, Hidden will set up an office in New Zealand, with funding committed to hiring a local team in the country to develop interactive experiences based on the company's award-winning game engine.

By combining the virtual and physical element in a unique blend of fun and exploration, HIDDEN games will enable visitors to multiple locations in New Zealand to discover Māori culture and heritage through interactive, engaging experiences.

Hidden will partner with Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua to create compelling content based on the deep local knowledge that members of the iwi bring.

This cross-border collaboration, called Hidden Aotearoa, unites one of New Zealand's largest Māori iwi with a fast-expanding Singapore game company.

Since 2022, Hidden has drawn on its strengths in storytelling, game design and technology to engage audiences through immersive experiences. Over the years, the company's unique chatbot-led games have won multiple awards, including the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award for 2023 and 2024.

From couples on a date to corporate teams gathered for a fun day out, more than 40,000 players have been attracted to Hidden's adventure games by the rich content and interesting combination of the physical and digital worlds.

Earlier this year, in April, Hidden's adventure game was part of a national effort to promote the rich heritage of Singapore's neighbourhoods. Partnering the National Heritage Board, Hidden provided a virtual quest in Katong-Joo Chiat to help launch the Heritage Activation Node (HAN) initiative to uncover the untold stories that make communities special.

This latest collaboration between Hidden and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua brings about exciting new possibilities not possible before.

"We are excited to not just collaborate with Hidden but invest in its future as a strategic partner that will bring innovative ideas to promote Māori culture and heritage to a global audience," said Hayden Hape, Chair, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tamaki nui a Rua Taiwhenua.

"As custodians of our traditions, we are keen to work with a groundbreaking company that has demonstrated expertise in helping people tell their own stories in their own way. We are excited to also give domestic and international visitors to our country the opportunity to personally engage directly with our culture," he added.

"The Māori are the best storytellers in the world and we are so excited to be able to work with them to create a potent combination of storytelling and technology to share with the world," said Lim Yee Hung, co-founder of Hidden.

He added: "It was a life-changing experience visiting Hayden and his tribe in New Zealand earlier this year, when they taught me Māori concepts like whakapapa (genealogy) and kotahitanga (togetherness), as well as how to shear a sheep!"

Hidden is an award-winning experiences company that combines the physical and virtual worlds to help players uncover hidden gems in a city's iconic neighbourhoods. Launched in 2022, the company is the brainchild of two childhood friends who wanted to make heritage come alive and easily accessible through games and technology.

As a social enterprise under the United Nations Development Programme, Hidden is committed to the UN's Sustainable Development Goal to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all. For more information, please visit www.hidden.sg

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua is the mandated iwi authority representing the broader Ngāti Kahungunu interests within the Tararua District. Through the elected Board and Chairperson, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua advocate the collective interests of tangata whenua from each of our marae and hapū in the Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua rohe in regard to mana whenua, mana moana, and mana motuhake.

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua aspires to build lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with local and central government, crown agencies and departments, and communities within the Tararua District.