Kura Productions Limited

What Kura Productions Limited does

Kura Productions Limited is a New Zealand–based Māori television and film production company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Napier, Hawke's Bay, with operational presence in Auckland through its joint-venture partner South Pacific Pictures. The company produces te reo Māori and bilingual content across children's programming, youth drama, documentaries, feature films, panel and game shows, and language-learning formats, building on a 700+ hour content library over two decades. Its 19-title active portfolio includes the seven-season youth drama Ahikāroa, the children's shows Pūkoro and TeNGz, documentaries such as Kōwhao Rau and Taniwha Rau, and feature films including Mt Zion and Māui's Hook.

The company's business model centers on licensing royalties from broadcast distribution through enterprise partners TVNZ and Māori Television, supplemented by digital distribution via Facebook Watch and international festival circuit exposure (NZWebFest, Melbourne WebFest, Maoriland, HIFF, PIFF NYC, British Web Awards). Under the joint-venture structure formalized in 2021, South Pacific Pictures — New Zealand's largest screen production company — provides development funding, financial and legal advice, and training, while CEO Te Ataraiti Waretini leads creative direction with a stated long-term path toward Māori-majority ownership. The company operates with 11 employees, has no disclosed revenue or external funding rounds, and is pursuing organic expansion through new seasons (TeNGz Season 2 in 2025, Te Pāmu Kūmara Season 2) and international festival reach for its culturally specific Māori-language content.

Name

Kura Productions Limited

Legal name

Kura Productions Ltd

Website

https://kuraproductions.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kura Productions Limited is a New Zealand–based Māori television and film production company producing te reo Māori content across children's, youth, documentary, and feature formats, distributing via TVNZ, Māori Television, and Facebook Watch, and operating as a joint venture with South Pacific Pictures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television and Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Broadcasting Production Units & Studios (In-house/Member) (MPABADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Media Partnerships & Content Co-productions (NGO/Cultural) (MPABADAN), Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI)

Keywords

• Māori television production
• Indigenous film production
• Te reo Māori content
• Broadcast programme production
• Documentary series production

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Television and Film Content Production: Kura Productions creates Māori-language television programmes and films for broadcast and digital distribution through partners such as TVNZ and Māori Television.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kura Productions Limited is a New Zealand-based Māori television and film production company that creates 100% te reo Māori and bilingual content for broadcast on TVNZ and Māori Television, as well as for digital platforms and international film festivals. Its portfolio spans children's shows, youth drama, documentaries, language learning programmes, panel and game shows, and feature films, all centred on authentic Māori storytelling for Aotearoa New Zealand and international audiences.

Product overview

Kura Productions Limited is a Māori television and film production company offering a diverse portfolio of 19 distinct products spanning television programmes, films, and digital platforms. The portfolio centers on te reo Māori and tikanga Māori content, organized across several categories: bilingual youth drama (Ahikāroa with seven seasons), unscripted children's programming (TeNGz, Pūkoro, Te Pāmu Kūmara, Huritua), Māori language learning (Tōku Reo, Kupuhuna), panel and game shows (Nā Wai i Teka?, Search4Stars), feature films (Mt Zion, Māui's Hook, Goethe), documentary series (Kōwhao Rau, Taniwha Rau, Matangi Rau), and a digital companion website (Te Ao Pūkoro). The company operates as a joint venture between Te Ataraiti Waretini and South Pacific Pictures, delivering content primarily for New Zealand audiences through broadcasters including TVNZ and Māori Television.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ahikāroa Seven-season bilingual youth drama following city-based rangatahi (young people) who are kura kaupapa raised and navigate life around getting cash, cutting corners and charging their phones. Produced for broadcast on New Zealand free-to-air television.
• TeNGz Unscripted children's show featuring sisters from a farm in the Far North of Aotearoa who tackle chores, brainstorm and solve problems together.
• Nā Wai i Teka? North Tai Tokerau panel show in 100% te reo o Ngāpuhi, answering personal, profound and humorous questions from viewers.
• Te Pāmu Kūmara Two-season comedy drama about Tai and her superhuman whānau who run their local vege shop from their kūmara farm while protecting their whenua.
• Stan Walker: Impossible Live TV programme featuring Stan Walker sharing his journey in honour of the first Matariki public holiday, reflecting on pivotal moments weaving kōrero and waiata together. Broadcast on TVNZ.
• Māui's Hook Drama documentary film where Māori psychologist and filmmaker Paora Joseph brings discussions of suicide into the spotlight through the brave testimony of five grieving families.
• Mt Zion Feature film starring Australian Idol winner Stan Walker as aspiring singer Turei, part of a Māori potato picker whānau from Pukekohe, set against Bob Marley's 1979 tour to Aotearoa.
• Pūkoro Half-hour children's show for children five years and under, 100% in te reo Māori, featuring songs, stories, activities and giant Tiki characters.
• Tōku Reo Māori language learning course for absolute beginners, designed by Professor John Moorfield, with an interactive website to reinforce and encourage further learning.
• Te Ao Pūkoro Interactive website companion to Pūkoro featuring the cyber world with computer games, video clips with craft ideas, stories, and printable colouring-in sheets, all in te reo Māori.
• Kōwhao Rau Documentary series where Quinton Hita journeys into Ngāpuhi regions in search of conversation with kaumātua who have led extraordinary lives.
• Taniwha Rau Documentary series presented by Paraone Gloyne exploring the Tainui tribal region, featuring kaumātua and unique tribal dialect characteristics.
• Matangi Rau Documentary series presented by Jeremy Tātere MacLeod exploring the Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine tribal regions, featuring kaumātua and unique tribal dialect characteristics.
• Kupuhuna Māori language game show that pairs fluent reo Māori speakers with second-language learners to compete for prizes.
• Search4Stars Talent celebration and showcase for young Māori leaders, featuring emerging talent from New Zealand's regions.
• Goethe Documentary following Kotuku Tibble as he travels from his marae at Parewahawaha to Germany to investigate his claimed relationship to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
• Huritua Bite-sized DIY guide covering topics relevant to young people, transforming everyday things into awesomeness.
• Only In Aotearoa Short comedy skits told from a distinctly Māori perspective with real-time conversations between characters mirroring issues affecting Māori.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• South Pacific PicturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Pacific Pictures is New Zealand's largest screen production company (36th year, 6000+ hours of programming). Kura Productions is a joint venture between Te Ataraiti Waretini and South Pacific Pictures. SPP contributes development funding, financial and legal advice, and training. Both partners are working towards a long-term goal of Te Ataraiti eventually becoming the majority owner of Kura Productions Ltd.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Piki Films: Māori-led production company producing Māori-language and indigenous-focused drama, documentary, and children's content. Closely comparable niche focus on te reo Māori programming for Māori Television and other NZ platforms.
• Great Southern Television: Auckland-based NZ production house producing drama, children's, entertainment, and factual programming for local broadcasters. Comparable as a mid-sized NZ producer serving TVNZ and Māori Television with multi-format slates.
• Whenua Films: Māori-focused film and documentary production company based in Aotearoa. Comparable as an indigenous-led producer of culturally-driven content for both domestic broadcasters and international festival circuits.
• Greenstone Pictures: New Zealand production company producing drama and factual content for domestic and international markets. Comparable in size and as a TVNZ/Māori Television-adjacent producer with a slate of returning series.
• South Pacific Pictures: New Zealand's largest screen production company and Kura's JV partner (6000+ hours, 36 years). Directly comparable as a domestic production house producing drama, children's, and long-running series for NZ broadcasters, with overlapping customer base in TVNZ and Māori Television.
• Awa Films: Māori-owned production company producing short-form drama, music videos, and cultural content. Comparable as a small, indigenous-led production house serving Māori Television and digital platforms.

Emerging players

• Mabinóg: Aotearoa-based indigenous and Pacific production company producing scripted drama and documentary with cultural themes. Comparable as a small, mission-driven indigenous content producer operating in the same cultural-content niche with similar broadcaster customers.
• Tūmanako Productions: Māori filmmaker-led collective producing culturally-rooted drama and documentary. Comparable in mission (indigenous storytelling, te reo Māori) and target platforms, though smaller and more emerging than Kura.

Others

• Māori Television: New Zealand's national Māori-language broadcaster and a key commissioning/distribution partner of Kura. Included as a strategic ecosystem participant rather than a competitor — its commissioning decisions directly shape Kura's production slate.

Broad incumbents

• Screentime NZ (Banijay): Part of global Banijay group, producing entertainment, factual and drama programming across NZ. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in NZ production with overlapping broadcaster relationships and broader-format capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kura-productions-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kura Productions Limited