Tuesday 17 June 2025
09:00 – London / 20:00 – Wellington
Indigenising Gaming and Storytelling
Who gets to tell the story? Which stories get told? Stories hold collective memory, shape cultural identity, and help forge paths to realise possible futures. Efforts to erase Indigenous languages have long been a coloniser’s tool, because shared narratives, held across generations, hold enormous power. This session explores Indigenous story-telling in the cultural contexts of tech and gaming, as well as the visual and performing arts.
About the panel
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Amber Taylor is an entrepreneur passionate about promoting cultural diversity in the tech industry. She is the Co-Founder of ARA Journeys, working at the forefront of combining immersive technologies and artificial intelligence with the wisdom of indigenous peoples to create innovative solutions for education, health, and tourism. ARA Journeys focus on building meaningful connections, fostering learning, and inspiring exploration, and has received numerous awards, solidifying their reputation as a pioneering digital technologies company.Amber is also an active mentor with NZ Business Mentors and NZ Women in Tech, working to empower women in tech and bridge the gender gap, and a founding member of the NZ Female Tech Founders network, which strives to create a supportive community for women tech founders. Additionally, Amber is dedicated to championing Māori talent and advocating for the representation and inclusion of underrepresented communities in tech.
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Riham Isaac is a multidisciplinary artist weaving acting, singing, dancing, and video to explore new mediums of live performance. In 2017, she co-directed The Alternativity in Bethlehem alongside Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle and Banksy—a highly political yet playful show spotlighted in a BBC2 documentary. In 2023, her solo performance Another Lover’s Discourse, commissioned by the Belfast International Arts Festival, captivated UK audiences and was nominated as the VAULT Festival Show of the Week.
She holds an MA in Performance Making from Goldsmiths, University of London. Through themes such as gender, politics, resistance, societal dynamics, and collective imagination, Riham challenges prevailing perceptions, embracing risk-taking to provoke meaningful dialogue and change within audiences.
She is currently a PhD candidate in Performance Practice at the University of Exeter. Her research focuses on the intersection of performance, land liberation, resistance, and cultural activism, with a deep investment in how performance practices can deepen our understanding of land injustices and bridge activism with the transformative power of art.
About the hosts
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Director and Strategist for IDIA
Ko wai au? He uri tenei no Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa
I am an experienced service design, co design and community engagement practitioner who loves working with people to define and achieve their goals. I have over 15 years experience in leading design, leading organisations and their leaders and people through change.
I have worked in the public sector, alongside NGOs, with community groups, iwi and hapu, I love leading collaborative sessions with a wide range of stakeholders, making sure all people feel seen, heard and safe to participate. One of my favourite things is talking with people about what is important to them, what makes their hearts sing, what they are passionate about and using these insights to create good sustainable change.
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Lucy is a freelance creative strategist and innovator with a deep passion for culture, design, and systems thinking. Her career spans GLAM institutions, performing arts, service design, and kaupapa Māori design methodologies. She has worked across cultural heritage, innovation strategy, and production management, always weaving together mātauranga Māori, ecosystems logic, and design thinking to drive creative problem-solving.
From curating exhibitions at the National Library to running innovation programmes at Te Papa’s Mahuki, Lucy thrives at the intersection of people, ideas, and systems. She brings a wealth of experience in stakeholder engagement, qualitative research, and co-design, helping to cultivate spaces where ideas can take root and flourish.
Recently as Innovation Lead at Te Matarau a Māui, Lucy has been focused on fostering bold, future-focused thinking and creating pathways for Māori-led and Indigenous innovation. She is passionate about designing programmes that empower entrepreneurs, creatives, and communities to explore new possibilities and bring transformative ideas to life.