Maru Nihoniho

Nihoniho was born in Christchurch on 4 January 1973 to Kui and Rongotehengia Nihoniho. She is of Māori descent and affiliates to Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. She grew up at Tuahiwi and in Christchurch, and has had an interest in video games since the age of 11.

In 2003, Nihoniho founded the Metia Interactive company. Metia Interactive's debut game, Cube, was released on the PlayStation Portable in 2007. Following the release of Cube, Nihoniho was approached by the University of Auckland to develop a self-help game to combat depression. This game was specifically made with New Zealand's Māori and minority ethnic groups in mind. The resulting product, Sparx, was released in 2013. The game was developed and modelled on cognitive behavioral therapy.

In 2017, during her last year at Tech Futures Lab, Nihoniho developed Tākaro, an educational game aimed at children, as her key project. That year, she finished her master's degree in technological futures with the Tech Futures Lab. Nihoniho went on to develop several games, such as Guardian Maia, with the stated goal of introducing others to Māori culture.