We are very excited to share that the design behind our Kia Puāwai brand is a finalist in the 2024 Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards – an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital, and motion design.
Extended Whānau, who worked on our brand identity alongside our kaumātua Pita Te Ngaru and Kaitohu Māori at the time Mark Manaia, is a finalist in the Graphic category.
Part of the awards submission says, “When a Waka Hourua (double-hulled ocean-going craft) glides through the water, the intersecting wake from the two hulls is often likened to strands of knowledge being woven together.”
“Inspired by this idea, we created our tohu. It symbolises our waka in motion, weaving in strands of knowledge, moving with intent towards a better tomorrow. It blooms, ripples, and grows to reflect our name and our vision.”
Alongside the new branding and website, which launched in November 2022, we also changed our ingoa (name), moving from Youth Horizons | Kia Puāwai to Kia Puāwai, which means ‘to prosper’.
Our name is a taonga gifted to our organisation nearly two decades ago. It is derived from a tongikura (saying) by Princess Te Puea Hērangi, a notable ariki and woman of influence.
“I te ohonga ake o taku moemoeā,ko te puawaitanga o te whakairo | When I awaken from my sleep, my dreams shall be realised.”
The Extended Whānau-designed brand identity reflects the Waka Hourua strategy at Kia Puāwai that guides all our mahi, which was launched in 2021.
Symbolically it represents the bringing together of two knowledge sets (Māori and Tauiwi (Western)), and drawing equally on the skills, attributes and leadership of each to improve outcomes for communities.
Our Waka Hourua journey involves many strands including enhancing the Māori and Pasifika cultural competency, world view and knowledge of our kaimahi so we can provide a more balanced approach to our service delivery.
Waka Hourua underscores our commitment to tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau, and brings together the richness of te ao Māori and te ao Tauiwi to help us to better serve our communities.
The Best Design Awards ceremony will be held on Friday 11 October and we wish the Extended Whānau team the very best!