Maru Nihoniho

Maru Eva Nihoniho (born 4 January 1973) is a New Zealand video game developer. She is the founder and managing director of Metia Interactive, and has designed and developed several video games, including Sparx.

Life and career 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. with the Tech Futures Lab. She was named Innovator of the Year in the 2017 MCV Pacific Women in Games Awards, presented by Xbox,