Manaakitanga Pencil

The advertising industry has a diversity problem. Many leaders over the last few years from various agencies here in Aotearoa New Zealand, have approached our Creative Director and his agency to help them gain more insight and understanding of te ao Māori (the Māori world view) and lived experience from an indigenous perspective.

Although a seasoned creative with 20 years experience in network and independent agencies, now his own, his hesitation to divert indigenous talent to these agencies was warranted, as he was shocked to learn that he was the target of undercover racist comments on industry blogs, when it was announced he was judging the prestigious D&AD Awards.

He shrugged off his disappointment and decided to turn that negativity into something positive.

The idea was to reciprocate the manaakitanga shown to him by D&AD, of inviting him to judge and speak at the prestigious Design and Advertising ceremony. ‘Manaakitanga' means to uplift another person or groups prestige and encourages reciprocity. This was the ultimate stage in the advertising game to show the industry just how indigenous creatives navigate this world.

Working alongside his wider team, a whakairo and wood craftsman, they created a bespoke version of the famous D&AD pencil to award the team for their much welcomed efforts.

This handcrafted pencil features the Māori Taratara ā Kae pattern, inspired by an ancient story that represents whale teeth. Traditionally, it is used most commonly on pātaka (food storehouses) to symbolise a wealth of resources and hospitality. The rauponga pattern then represents genealogy, a line of descent through generations (whakapapa), this talking to the whakapapa of his agency experience and the making of this taonga for the charity.

D&AD thanked our Creative Director publicly and mentioned that this was the first ever pencil gifted to the charity. A transformative experience for the awards ceremony and industry, as the idea of ‘Expanding the Space’ through manaakitanga is a reminder to help smaller voices to be heard.