Māori Language Week: Otago University staff become ‘spies’ for te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Sequoia Short has developed an escape room centred on indigenous data sovereignty. Photo / Supplied

University of Otago postgraduate student Sequoia Short hopes an innovative approach to a tricky subject will inspire the next generation of tertiary students.

Short (Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toa Rangatira), a PhD student within Te Kura Pakihi – Otago Business School, has developed an escape room centred on indigenous data sovereignty.

The game sees players become spies on behalf of mana whenua and tasked with securing stolen data and intellectual property, such as mātauranga Māori, artefacts, and genetic sequences.

Whilst the game is filled with puzzles, hidden beneath the surface are important topics that lead to significant discussions once the game has finished.

The new logo of the University of Otago - Okākou Whakaihu Waka

Staff from throughout the University will be giving it a go this week as part of te Wiki o te reo Māori, helping Short refine the game in the process. She has had huge support from the Te Maea Māori and indigenous research theme.

“Trying to gameify the topic and get people learning about inaccessible aspects of research was really appealing to me,” Short says.

“Science communication is a passion of mine – being able to simplify and communicate to any person the impact of your research, especially kaupapa Māori research – if you can’t take back what you’ve learned to your community, then there’s no point at all.”

A final refined version will be presented to tauira throughout schools in the Ōtākou Murihiku/Otago Southland area at the end of the year. The aim is to help Year 9 and 10 students understand more about the topic and develop positive engagements with the university.

Short says the camaraderie and competitiveness makes it a hit for older groups, too.

Sequoia Short. Photo / Supplied

“I obviously set out to design this escape game with a purpose in mind – to speak to and engage with rangatahi. But others see a huge variation in uses for it, which is amazing, because realistically the more people who are engaged with it the better.

“Even non-puzzle people seem to like it which shows there’s mass appeal – not just for people like me.”

Whilst there has been a positive reception so far, the escape game is just one of the many hats Short wears. With a PhD still to complete and ongoing teaching commitments, she understands the escape game has a limited time in more ways than one.

“I’m just trying to make as much impact in the little time I have.”