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Inspirational Kiwi web series skyrockets over 1m views
Tue, 18th Oct 2016
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Oompher is an inspirational video platform that launched in August this year and was acquired by Careers NZ in 2015.

Today, the Oompher TV channel has gained over one million views with its first 8-part web series following international Kiwi success story: Soldier Rd Portraits.

“The Soldiers Road webisode went viral overnight, before going on to reach a total of over 109,000 views,” says Careers New Zealand chief executive Keith Marshall.

“We are overwhelmed with what the Oompher web series has created. This is a prime example of our commitment to providing relevant and easily accessible tools and resources to help young people navigate their learning and work choices,” he says.

Oompher aims to inspire, motivate and propel young people to find their own way in the world. Jane Ratcliffe, general manager for Channel and Digital Resources at Careers New Zealand, says part of the appeal of the web series was that it celebrates Kiwi stories that prove traditional pathways aren't a must to achieve success.

“And that hard work, resilience and persistence are important life skills to help you along your journey,” she says.

“The deep social media engagement with web series supports the findings of Careers New Zealand's Project Kāmehameha research, which showed that rangatahi want visually interesting stories that are youthful, celebrate Māori success and are authentic and relevant to them,” explains Ratcliffe.

Intrepid Māori photographer Te Rawhitiroa Bosch's story of travelling to iconic global sites on a year-long journey with his Tino Rangatiratanga flag seemed to hit an emotional note with viewers young and old, with over 218,000 views, 2,200 shares, and 1,200 comments.

“As I've travelled the world I've taken our Tino Rangatiratanga flag with me...to Rapa Nui, Machu Picchu, the Sahara Desert...this is the flag that I see represents us.