Māori Kiwifruit Growers (MKG) is hoping to make New Zealand grown kiwi fruit the new big thing in food in the UAE. Independent Māori-owned agency, RUN Aotearoa, has created the campaign to do that in partnership with Zespri and Mr Apple.
The Dubai campaign is built around a set of 12 collective AR cards, featuring the Legends of Aotearoa New Zealand – the birds, reptiles and ocean creatures that are unique to the country and the stories around them. Each purchase includes three cards with a QR card that leads to an interactive AR experience. The journey extends online via legendsofnewzealand.com, offering an entry point into Aotearoa New Zealand’s stories and identity, positioned for a global audience.
The campaign aims to build curiosity and interest in New Zealand culture and position New Zealand kiwifruit as a premium export.
RUN collaborated with creative technology studio, iSPARX, to enhance the experience, using cutting-edge browser-based AR technology that eliminates the need for a dedicated app, to give users an easy entry point into the interactive storytelling.
“We wanted to turn a simple supermarket purchase into a moment of discovery,” stated RUN co-founder and chief creative officer, Raymond Otene McKay. “By blending storytelling, culture, design and technology, every purchase becomes a window into the beauty and wonder of Aotearoa New Zealand. In markets like the UAE, where provenance and country of origin really matter, we wanted to give customers an experience that’s grounded in design, creativity and cultural authenticity.”
MKG Group chairman, Geoff Rolleston, added, “This partnership places Māori kiwifruit growers on the world stage and sets a benchmark for what collaboration can achieve. Our focus is on building futures, not just marketing fruit, but investing in people, skills and opportunities that will benefit our mokopuna for generations. These are the kinds of relationships that create true intergenerational prosperity.”
The campaign continues the work RUN Aotearoa began with a full rebrand of Māori Kiwifruit Growers in 2023, and creation of a successful campaign launching them into the Hawai‘i market in 2024. The Hawaiian campaign concept drew on the shared cultural heritage of Māori and native Hawaiian people, incorporating a shared navigation symbol, the Amokura bird.
