Fiordland is featured in the new Minecraft: Aotearoa world, developed by Tourism New Zealand to promote the country as a must-visit destination.

The campaign includes iconic locations like Milford and Doubtful Sound/Patea, with players entering through a digital portal inspired by a real-life Minecraft portal built on the Milford Sound foreshore.

The campaign, the first to use Minecraft as a tourism platform, targets Minecraft’s 170 million monthly players, aiming to attract younger travellers and digital natives.

It is supported by the upcoming release of Minecraft: The Movie and a global influencer programme.

Great South’s General Manager of Tourism and Events, Mark Frood, said this was an incredible opportunity to put Fiordland and Murihiku Southland on the map in a new and creative way.

“It’s opened doors to new audiences, and we’re already seeing strong momentum building around the campaign.”

“This is more than just a moment in the spotlight - it’s a real opportunity to drive long-term impact for our region,” he added.

Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka Chair Tracey Wright-Tawha said whānau had worked with the game developers to reflect their kaitiaki relationship with Te Rua-o-Te-Moko (Fiordland) and the preservation of this magnificent taonga.

“We had a lot of input from our whānau, which was thrilling and a bit nerve-wracking,”

“[Doubtful Sound] Patea is incredibly significant to our people and communities. It was a place of our ancestors with very harsh conditions."

“There are millions of people playing Minecraft around the world at any one time and now they can explore Patea virtually."

"It’s another way to enjoy this special place without leaving a footprint.”

Wright-Tawha said it had been a good way for the rūnaka to dip its toes in the water on a project of this size and complexity and to represent what they considered to be their backyard.

“It’s created more diverse conversations within our rūnaka around our role as kaitiaki and what other opportunities there could be at Patea for us to share more of our stories with manuhiri,” Wright-Tawha said.

CLICK HERE to watch the international campaign video.