Bringing more Māori into an industry where they are underrepresented and creating opportunities to genuinely understand te ao Māori was behind Springload’s decision to update its business strategy to reflect its goals.
Springload is a digital agency with 72 employees based in Wellington. Chief Operating Officer Emily Vaka'uta says the business developed Whakapuāwai, a three-year strategy to increase digital inclusion in New Zealand and grow a community of diverse practitioners.
“The digital products we create are for all of Aotearoa, therefore it is our responsibility to contribute to reducing the digital exclusion that exists, have an understanding of te ao Māori and embed these principles into our design and end product,” she says.
“We hope that over the next three years as we take our people on a journey into bicultural design, we will help create better digital products for Māori and for Aotearoa.”
Four central initiatives support Whakapuāwai. Every six months employees are invited to take part in a noho marae to gain insight into te ao Māori with an emphasis on interconnectedness and the relationships of people and the environment.
