In the business of building narrative
A design brings a vision to life…
A photo can capture a moment in time…
A video records a part of history
An illustration can take you to another world…
But a narrative can carry a kaupapa and transcend generations.
My recent work
My recent work
Check out my recent projects
Toioho Ki Āpiti 30 year celebration
Tohu Careers: Ruaumoko
Mahinga Kai Season 2 logo
Pūhoro Wānanga
Toioho Ki Āpiti 30 year exhibition 2026
Services
Mātauranga
Mātauranga Māori sits underneath every piece of mahi, It's the starting point, it sets the destination: the wānanga happens before the visual does.
Every mark, every image, every choice traces back to something real: a place, a story, a relationship. This is mātauranga in action.
We start here, and the rest is easy.
Creative
Many points, one output. Five crafts, one kaupapa:
Each one answers to the same standard: tell the story properly, for the people and communities it belongs to.
Photography
Documentary and event coverage: wānanga, competition, exhibitions, portraiture. Shot to hold up as a record, not just a highlight reel.
Videography
Campaign films and full event coverage, cut with pace and built to be shared. From 30-second hooks to full-length pieces.
Branding
Logos, wordmarks and identity systems for any kaupapa. Grounded in narrative, built to last.
Graphic Design
Campaign collateral, infographics, apparel and print design. The work that carries an identity out into the world.
Illustration
Character and pattern illustration: atua series, house crests, kākahu pattern design. Drawn with care for the stories behind them.
Kia Ora,
I'm Noel, and I run Matarau, based in Palmerston North, Aotearoa. My practice began in the margins of my school workbooks, filling them with drawings instead of notes. However, it hasn't stayed confined within those pages, that creative narrative has since grown to include photography, videography, brand and design, illustration, campaign and narrative strategy, and cultural advisory.
All of it moves through the same lens. Mātauranga Māori is the foundation of how I work, it guides every decision and direction I take.
Working across many different kaupapa, and utilising many different mediums along the way, taught me something a single project never could: a photograph is a moment, a logo is a mark, a campaign is a season. Each one says something on its own. But none of them last the way a narrative lasts. A story built across mediums, image, design, film, language, doesn't just describe a kaupapa, it carries it. That's the shift I push every project toward: not the strong single image, but the fuller story, built to hold for generations.
Establish the whakapapa | Build the story | Embrace the narrative
Creative Tutu | Storyteller
Noel Tainui Mete
“A strong image can last a lifetime. a strong story will transcend generations”
Start a Project
Send through your vision. Let’s start building your narrative.