When Brazilian writer and theatre practitioner Gisela de Castro arrived in Mount Maunganui in mid-2023, she brought with her more than a suitcase and a PhD ambition.
Gisela de Castro with husband Julio Silva and daughter Lara de Castro Oliveira. Photo: Supplied
She brought a deeply held belief that storytelling – especially when shaped by digital tools – can build confidence, creativity and connection.
Less than three years later, that belief has taken tangible form in A Flight Over Aotearoa New Zealand, a nationally scaled digital storytelling project that is now live online and attracting attention from educators, researchers and creatives alike.
At its core, the project transforms children’s handwritten and typed letters into short, animated films. But viewed through a business and innovation lens, it also offers a compelling case study in creative collaboration, digital capability and the value of investing in platforms that give voice to emerging perspectives.
De Castro, a PhD candidate in Screen and Media Studies at Waikato University developed the platform as part of her doctoral research into how digital storytelling is reshaping children’s literacy.
The website features 22 animated stories based on 70 letters written by children aged between four and 15, representing 15 regions across New Zealand. The letters explore climate change, local environments, hometowns and hopes for the future – offering what de Castro describes as an “affective map” of the country.
She is now based in Mount Maunganui with her husband Julio Silva, a financial consultant in the arts sector, and daughter Lara, 17, a student at Mount Maunganui College.
Gisela de Castro and AFOA_NZ original artwork
De Castro says the Bay of Plenty has become both home and creative anchor. Lara animated four of the films on the platform, turning the project into a family collaboration that mirrors its broader ethos of participation and shared authorship.
“I didn’t know anyone when we arrived,” de Castro says.
“We came because of the university. The Brazilian community here is huge and very friendly, and even without family nearby we’ve built strong connections. When I first met my supervisor, I felt so welcomed and confident. She understood our culture, and that gave me real trust.”
That sense of trust and inclusion extends to the project itself. Rather than interpreting children’s ideas through an adult lens, A Flight Over Aotearoa New Zealand places young voices front and centre. Each animation combines text, illustration, narration and sound, encouraging children to see reading and writing not as tasks to complete, but as expressive acts with real audiences.
Delivering the platform required a multidisciplinary production approach more commonly seen in the creative industries than in traditional academic research. De Castro worked with seven animators, three musicians, an editor, a crochet artisan and a web designer – coordinating a distributed creative team to bring the letters to life. For business readers, it’s a reminder that research, like innovation, increasingly sits at the intersection of disciplines.
One of the original letters
The letters themselves reveal how perceptive children are about place and responsibility. Some imagine new attractions or improvements for their towns; others focus on protecting environments that matter to them. Together, they paint a picture of a generation already grappling with environmental uncertainty and technological change.
De Castro’s research asks a question highly relevant to educators, employers and policymakers alike: as reading and writing move further into digital spaces, how do we ensure that shift expands participation rather than narrows it?
“When children saw their stories animated, they began to see themselves as writers and artists,” she says.
“Confidence is part of literacy too.”
The platform also reflects how children are encountering emerging technologies. One participant rewrote a letter initially generated using artificial intelligence, refining it to better reflect his own perspective — a small but telling example of how digital tools can prompt critical thinking about authorship and authenticity.
Alongside the animations, the site features a handcrafted crochet mascot representing the tara iti, the New Zealand fairy tern. The choice symbolises both environmental care and the blending of digital and handmade creativity – themes that resonate strongly in many of the children’s letters and in de Castro’s own experience as a migrant building a new sense of home.
With further academic analysis to follow ahead of her thesis submission in 2026, A Flight Over Aotearoa New Zealand already stands as a polished, public-facing outcome. For Bay of Plenty readers, it’s also a reminder that globally relevant ideas can take shape locally – and that innovation doesn’t always start in a boardroom, but sometimes with a child, a letter and the courage to listen. – Additional reporting Mary Anne Gill.
Gisela de Castro with the full collection of children’s letters.
