To mark Māori Langage Week 2020, Twitch ANZ is celebrating its Māori creators and shining a spotlight on their live streams from Monday 14 September to Sunday 20 September.

Throughout the week, 11 creators including the beloved Māori woodcarver Daytona “Broxh” Taputu, will be featured on Twitch ANZ’s front page and be promoted across social media, increasing their visibility tenfold.

Many of the streamers have special content planned to showcase Māoritanga—Māori culture, traditions and the way of life—and promote revitalising te reo Māori (the Māori language).

Lewis Mitchell, Partnerships Lead for ANZ at Twitch, said, “There are so many talented, charismatic Māori creators on Twitch who are using their streams to raise awareness of their rich cultural roots. Our mission is to bring people together every day and what better way to do so than making these individuals front and centre for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.”

Broxh, the humble Rotorua man who has taken the world by storm said, “I do whakairo on Twitch to share my culture while we all sit in hard times, and to create a good environment for people to come and chill. I want to increase the exposure of Māori culture and hope to inspire the next generation of young leaders to consider pursuing whakairo. I’m excited to stream on Te Wiki o te Reo Māori as it’s a time to celebrate our language and all aspects of our culture.”

Gystforkickz, a sneaker customiser from Hastings and proud member of the Ngati Kahungunu tribe said, “I take a shoe and add art to it to help you stand out and fit in at the same time. My streams show the whole process from start to finish, with full detail on how to do it. Plus I have fun with the chat as well and talk about random things. I’m excited to be a part of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori to share my skills and culture with the community and inspire others to participate.”

bc_riki, a variety streamer and Masters student said, “I began streaming mobile games straight from my phone in 2019, and now I now play a variety on Xbox, PC and mobile. I’m excited to be part of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori as it is a way for me to celebrate and learn more about our reo, while sharing it with people around the world.”

Other featured creators who are ready to share their culture with the masses include:

• A2WA, a 19-year-old gamer of Māori and Niuean descent who’s based in Tauranga
• Josh “BlametheRobot”, a Wellington-based streamer and voice actor with a passion for anime, video games and music
• TimProvise, a full-time teacher and part-time streamer from South Auckland known for podcasting
• PeachxFlame, 24-year-old Māori streamer who’s focussed on Fortnite and having a laugh
• ThunderxPunch, a self-taught artist, part-time streamer and proud father from Aotearoa
• KamaEzy, a 22-year-old from Wellington with Māori and Samoan roots who’s passionate about video games
• DJ Spell, a Māori hip hop artist from Wellington with an old school soul
• RainKatayanagi, a 23-year-old model and DJ who loves to game and is fluent in teo reo Māori

Twitch is live, interactive, personality and content-based, community-driven video where anyone can play a role in creating the moment. Tune into the Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebrations at twitch.tv