Encouraging more Māori and Pacific rangatahi (young people) into careers in creative technology is the inspiration behind the Team Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Eseries car livery this week, with Auckland Unlimited gifting the opportunity to a local rangatahi-led organisation, Game Tan.
The Māori and Pacific Tech Careers Activation Trust sees technology as a pathway to create intergenerational wealth in well paid sunrise industries. Game Tan, the delivery arm of the Trust, uses gaming to help Māori and Pacific young people learn about and consider careers in creative tech.
Game Tan branding will feature on livery of Auckland Unlimited’s Team Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland car during Round Three of the Cash Converters Supercars Eseries on 22 September.
The Eseries, on now until end of September, is watched by tens of thousands of people each week via TV and online broadcast of the Eseries to predominately Australian and New Zealand audiences.
Game Tan founder, Ray Cocker says that this is a huge moment as the car will be promoting Game Tan to such a large audience.
Technology provides a positive outlet for being a 'tutu', a tactile inquisitive trait that got heaps of us in trouble as kids. It's a no brainer, technology has caught up with us. Now we need to harness it to create positive change.
“Māori and Pacific people represent less than 5 per cent of those working in the creative tech sector yet are 39 per cent of the diverse Tāmaki Makaurau population,” says Cocker.
As the region’s economic and cultural agency, Auckland Unlimited is working to help Tāmaki Makaurau recover from the impact of COVID-19 and future-proof the region. This means focusing on the sectors with potential to provide high-skilled jobs to our region’s people, like tech and the creative industries.
Pam Ford, Director Investment and Industry Auckland Unlimited says: “In our support of the Eseries, we saw the opportunity to promote our partners and the important work happening in our communities to open career pathways to the creative tech sector. The Eseries has a large audience, and we are excited to share that with Game Tan and hope that it results in further opportunities for their work.”
We believe there is huge potential and economic opportunity for Auckland’s creative tech sector - including gaming – and inspiring our rangatahi into tech careers is an important aspect of this.
The creative technology sector includes the creation, production, and export/distribution of creative technology content, software, and hardware across high tech, film, television, gaming and online products, and the wide range of support businesses that produce services alongside creative technology.
Last year, video game development in Aotearoa brought in nearly $325 million in revenue and employed more than 700 people, with 40 per cent of gaming companies Auckland-based.
About Game Tan
- Game Tan is a grassroots rangatahi-led organisation that provides a space for kids and rangatahi to game while learning about tech and tech careers.
- Game Tan takes a hands-on approach to expos and events, where rangatahi and their whānau experience VR and AR, try3D printing, and the latest technology.
- Game Clubs take place every Friday evenings and Saturday mornings at GridMNK, Osterley Way, Manukau.
About Cash Converters Supercars Eseries
- The Cash Converters Supercars Eseries takes place on the iRacing platform, running over six weekly rounds from Wednesday 25th August through to 29th September.
- The new-look Cash Converters Eseries will offer fans the perfect mix of Supercars main game drivers and elite sim racers.
- Elite gamers will represent Supercars teams and major brands competing for the top prize of more than $20,000.
- The Eseries will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo, 7 Plus, Supercars Facebook, Twitch and Youtube pages.