Here’s one for our brothers and sisters across the ditch.
Created with Te Arawa and Te Puia elders, Emotiki features over 200 Māori and Kiwi cultural icons to slip into your daily emoji usage.
The app is led and owned by visitor attraction Te Puia in Rotorua.
“A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes, including working closely with Te Arawa and Te Puia pakeke (elders), to make this Te Arawa (tribe) led app a true representation of who we are,” says Kiri Atkinson-Crean, Te Puia general manager.
“We wanted to give people, particularly our young people, another way to express themselves and our unique Māori culture. The Emotiki app is a light-hearted, easy-to-use way to share the meaning of Māori words and concepts with other cultures and with all New Zealanders.”
Had #emotiki for 10 minutes. Things have already escalated dramatically. pic.twitter.com/L3XCqkmHnU
— Maria Lewis (@moviemazz) December 21, 2016
Emotiki icons include tiki pūkana expressions, taiaha, poi, hāngi, kai moana, people – young and old – even the ubiquitous Māori wardens are featured.
“With so many special facets to our culture that we want to share with the world, we’ll continue to add new and exciting icons frequently, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled – you can even suggest ideas for icons through some upcoming social media competitions.”
Just downloaded Emotiki so it’s a miri kirihimete to us all! pic.twitter.com/xyci4j2hrv
— Gen Fricker (@genfricker) December 22, 2016
In terms of use, it’s a simple emoji app – you just click on individual Emotiki icons and share them across whatever social media platforms you like, as well as in messaging and email. You can assign emojis to contacts, save them to your devices, print them out, whatever you want to do, really.
If you’re on iOS10 there’s a sticker pack available for iMessage.