28 September 2018

See Parliament like you’ve never seen it before with a new Parliament XR app which lets you step into Parliament buildings and take a 360 degree virtual tour from anywhere in the country.

Deputy Clerk of the House of Representatives Rafael Gonzalez-Montero says Parliament is launching the Kiwi-made app to reach New Zealanders who wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to visit Parliament.

“Parliament represents everybody from Stewart Island to Cape Reinga. The decisions made here are relevant to everybody, but we know that sometimes people feel like that Parliament is too far away, and we want to help people connect with Parliament.

“We hope young people will like it because they’ll have fun with the virtual reality and exploring the different spaces in the tour. And it’s pretty cool for adults too to get a chance to see what Parliament looks like behind the scenes. Hopefully it gives everybody a sense that Parliament is real and belongs to them.”

The New Zealand Parliament 360 Virtual Reality Tour will be launched at Parliament’s first Speaker-led outreach event in Mangere on Friday, 28 September. The Speaker and a cross-party group of MPs will meet with high school students and teachers at Mangere College, tertiary students and staff at Manukau Institute of Technology’s Otara campus, followed by a community event to take ‘Parly to the people.’

Speaker of the House, the Rt Hon Trevor Mallard says he is excited about taking Parliament out of Wellington.

“Communities are at the heart of our country and we want everybody in every community to know they have a voice at Parliament. Launching this outreach programme is a way to show people that Parliament belongs to them.”

The Parliament XR virtual reality tour, available free from the App Store or Google Play, can be downloaded on Apple or Android devices. Whether you choose to swipe, swivel in an office chair, or watch the app on a virtual reality headset, the eight-minute highlights tour takes you behind the scenes as you watch Parliament come to life from every direction. Don’t forget to look up!
The fast-moving tour is narrated by a guide and includes a greeting from Tumu Whakarae/Principal Cultural Advisor Kura Moeahu in the seldom seem Matangireia room. Pop-up boxes about some of Parliament’s art provide more information as you make your way from the Parliament lawn through the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture of the Parliamentary Library all the way to the base isolators under the building. Then by exclusive invitation, choose from thirteen more options including taking a seat in the Speaker’s Lounge or being invited into the Deputy Speaker’s office.

Spark is supporting the project by offering 10,000 free cardboard headsets to schools around the country to enhance the virtual reality experience for students.

Claire Barber, Product Director for Spark, says Spark is excited to support this project.

“Every child deserves to be able to access Parliament – but it hasn’t always been easy to get them there. Now that new technologies like virtual reality are starting to become mainstream, we’re able to create and deliver low-cost, effective technologies and solutions that bring Parliament right into kids’ classrooms. We’re so pleased that we can help support this goal, while showcasing the amazing potential of virtual reality technology.”

The 360 Virtual Reality experience was produced by startup teams at Wellington-based Projectr, a specialist XR Centre specialising in virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR) games development, motion graphics and artificial intelligence (AI). The tour was filmed with a locally-manufactured camera with 16 lenses built by Wellington startup L2VR.

Find out more about Parliament

Once you’ve seen Parliament, it’s your turn to get involved and have your say – we’ve made it easy for people all around the country to:
• Watch Parliament TV to see what happens in the House of Representatives. Check out the new one hour documentary introducing Parliament from 12.40 to 1.40pm each sitting day – there’s a lot more to Parliament than Question Time.
• Watch a select committee live-streamed on Facebook or come to Parliament and watch one in person.
• Have your say – make a submission to a select committee or start a petition.
• Or call, e-mail, use social media or pop in to talk to your local MP.
You can also find out more about Parliament on the Parliament website www.parliament.nz, check out NZ Parliament on Facebook or follow @NZParliament on Twitter.

ENDS

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