Te Kōrero Tākaro / Stories of Play

Te Kōrero Tākaro / Stories of Play
Two people interacting at an event, one holding a microphone and the other smiling, with a traditional board game on the table in front of them. Background shows other people seated at tables.
Person looking through a small optical device, appears to be a zoetrope, holding it up in a room with floral curtains in the background.
Two women sitting in a recording studio with microphones and headphones.
Two people stacking empty cans on grass as part of an outdoor activity.
Three women smiling, two standing upright holding the third horizontally in the center, all on a dark background.
Two children playing on colorful circles painted on the sidewalk in a park, with people sitting under a tent nearby.

About the project

Te Kōrero Tākaro | Stories of Play is an oral history project that celebrates the diversity of Aotearoa and connects people across different cultures, faiths and generations through play.

Rangatahi/young people from three ethnic communities (Pakistani, Singapore and Eritrean) were trained to carry out long-form oral history interviews with older members of their ethnic communities.

We’ve also captured short interviews at our Te Kōrero Tākaro booth at cultural events around Ōtautahi/Christchurch from people from Malaysia, Fiji, Canada, Philippians, Eritrea and Aotearoa/New Zealand about their memories of play and traditional games.

Elements of these traditional games will be reimagined as a play and story trail in the inner city of Ōtautahi, encouraging everyone to have a go at playing games that might be new or seem familiar to a game you played as a child.

Scroll down to listen to the audio stories below and experience our virtual story trail. 

This collaborative project was developed by InCommon, Our Stories Project and Gap Filler Pae Tākaro.

Two women smiling next to a pink booth with speech bubbles asking about play memories; one woman holds a baby. The booth has text in English and Maori about play stories.

The Te Kōrero Tākaro booth in action capturing stories of play at events around Ōtautahi.

Two people standing next to a pink booth with speech bubbles asking about play memories. The booth is labeled 'Te kōrero tākaro stories of play.' The child is wearing a unicorn hoodie, and the adult is holding books.

Visit the play trail

The play trail will be launched on Race Relations Day, 21st March 2025. Join us at 5.30pm at The Piano for a game of Snakes and Ladders and a walk on the trail.

You can visit the play trail from March 21 - May 21 in the inner city of Ōtautahi. Check out the locations below:

Map of the City - TKT
Pink informational graphic titled "Te Kōrero Tākaro Stories of Play Trail," listing activities: Chapteh and Hacky at the Arts Centre, Marbles at the Art Gallery, Pani at the corner of Kilmore and Durham St, Snakes and Ladders at 142 Armagh St.

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