2018, the idea
In late 2018, Eliot & Ben from Game Kings decided they wanted to start learning Te Reo Māori and thought their must be a game they could use to help them learn.
The idea for Tākaro came after they realised how few Te Reo games there were on the market, especially those aimed at beginners.
They partnered with a friend who was studying Te Reo at Waikato University and Te Wānanga O Aotearoa to help them write and develop their idea into a reality.
2019, the kickstarter
A kick starter for Tākaro launced by Game Kings in 2019 - with an aim to deliver the product for Māori language week September 9 – 15.
The kick starter campaign surpassed their target within the first 72 hours of the fundraising page going live and the game launched in time for Māori language week.
2020, Expansions
Takaro! Bits & Bobs features everyday household objects to make it even easier to start using Te Reo in your whare.
Takaro! Into the Wild explores the outdoors so players can korero about Aotearoa’s beautiful ngāi kīrehe (fauna) & ngāi tipu (flora).
2021 -Two more new versions
2021 saw the addition of two new versions of Tākaro expanding the range to 5 games.
2021, Koha For Kura
Koha for Kura
In 2021, Game Kings ran an initiative called Koha for Kura, translated as Gifts for Schools. The initiative stated that, for every copy of Tākaro their customers purchased, Game Kings would donate a Tākaro game to an NZ-based school. The aim was to reach all 2,556 schools across the country (per a list provided by the Ministry of Education).
Even though the company sold under the goal amount copies of the game during their initiative, Game Kings moved forward and sent a copy of Tākaro to all 2,556 schools across the country.
2021, Custom BNZ Tākaro
In 2021 we have the privilege to partner with The Bank Of New Zealand to create a custom a completely custom version of Tākaro. Which was gifted to all BNZ staff nationwide for Christmas 2021.
If you have an idea for a custom Tākaro or your organisation would like to partner with us we'd love to to hear from you.