The educational game, called Whitu, was created by seven Otago Boys’ High School year 13 pupils to help enhance Māori culture and language.
It was made as part of the Lion Foundation’s Young Enterprise Scheme, which is an annual nationwide scheme in which pupils create a product to form a business and run it throughout the year.
The masterminds of the game, Cameron Elliott (18), Joshua Friend (18), Cameron Moffitt (17), Walter Savage (18), Shaedon Miller (18), Josh Leebody (18) and Bradley Ruddenklau (17) wanted to make an innovative, educational and colourful game that was suitable for school pupils and families.
Cameron Elliott said Whitu was like the game Last Card, but with a twist.
"It has got different Māori concepts and cultural heroes within it," he said.
Those included Tumatauenga (god of war) and Tawhirimatea (god of weather).
Work on the game began in term one and by term three, which started in July, the final product was being sold nationally in Paper Plus stores and Māori gift stores.
About 800 people had ordered a pack of the cards, and about 650 had already been sold, he said.
However, it could not reach the shelves before being tried and tested.
Playing the game was "part of the development of the product".
"We got juniors at our school to help test our game and give us feedback and criticism to help develop the game further."
The group hoped to win some regional awards and be able to move on to the national stage of the Young Enterprise Scheme, in Wellington, in late November.
Teacher in charge of economics and business studies Gwyn Pratley said the scheme was a great way to teach the pupils essential skills such as creativity, communication and soft skills.
"[Otago Boys’] won the scheme for the past two years, and we hope to keep building on that."
It was not all about winning, he said.
Whether the team won or not, it would have given them real life experience and connections with people in business within the Dunedin community.
