The main objective was to integrate Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview) into a digital environment.

It was important that the new visual identity and website would:

• Capture the principles of Te Hou Ora and their staff

• Reflect the identity of a kaupapa Māori organisation

• Centre their staff in the design process, the visual identity and website

• Be a truly indigenous space, upholding Māori values and tikanga

We worked together with a core group of employees and internal stakeholders in a series of 5 co-design workshops. These generative workshops invited staff to bring along their values, stories and photos of their whānau and communities which then formed the basis of the creative approach.

The co-design process also allowed us to create an authentically indigenous space. We worked together to translate kaupapa Māori values and tikanga into the online experience. Led by the ideas and reflections of kaimahi, Te Ao Māori and the values of Te Hou Ora Whānau Services are embedded in the visual identity and site design through:

• Traditional design patterns such as poutama and niho taniwha

• The presence of atua in nature represented in video and photography of the natural world

• Waiata (songs) Candid imagery of real people – the kaimahi, tamariki, rangatahi and whānau – that are at the heart of Te Hou Ora

The result is an interactive website featuring images and video of local nature, audio of waiata sung by the rangatahi and kaimahi, and resources visitors can use to expand their knowledge of te āo Māori.