After the successful reversioning into te reo Māori of animated series ‘Island Of Mystery’  (playing on TVNZ) Māoriland has its first feature film, the popular ASTRO KID. 

Auditions open this week for eight natural speakers of te reo Māori to be the voices of  ASTRO KID  - “ Tama Kaiātea”.  Six rangatahi aged 8-14 and two adults are needed.. No previous acting experience is required as the selected cast will receive training in acting and voice projection to enhance the performances.

“The project draws from the storytelling strengths of our community, and their active participation, to enable the production of high-quality te reo Māori content for rangatahi and their whānau,” said Māoriland Tumu Whakarae, Libby Hakaraia. 

The reversioning will take place at He Paki Taketake,  the sound studio at the Māoriland Hub in Ōtaki. He Paki Taketake is funded by Te Māngai Pahō.

“The script has been translated and developed by three notable reo Māori speakers in our hāpori -Hēni Jacob,  Clayton Cook and  Te Kiwa Goddard.  We’re looking for local whānau to take part in production,” said Libby. 

Tama Kaiātea is a family-friendly animation that introduces tamariki to the world of science fiction, space exploration and cosmology. Tama Kaiātea’ is bound to open the minds of tamariki to the wonder and awe of the universe.

The story is set in the future and revolves around Wī who has been traveling the universe with his parents. Following the destruction of their ship, Wī is separated from his parents with whom he traveled in space. His spare capsule lands on a wild and unexplored planet and has to survive with the help of Buck, a survival robot. 

For the local community, ‘this production is a direct expression of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano – a strategy developed by Ngāti Raukawa to ensure the revitalisation of te reo Māori within the next generation.’  – Te Kura-a-Iwi O Whakatupuranga Rua Mano graduate and project coordinator  Oriwa Hakaraia.

Auditions To Take Place Mid-Late February. For More Information On The Project And Audition Dates, Visit The Māoriland Website.

EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST TO AUDITION HERE