CULTURE, COMMUNICATIONS
14/7/2025
In 2017, The Brown Pages - now known as The Culture and Design Lab - organised the CulturePRO Two-Day Masterclass at Orākei Marae in Auckland. The event brought together a...
HEALTH
27/6/2025
In the wake of recent concerns raised about the uncertain future of Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs), an important question has surfaced: Do we still need them? Especially when Māori...
HEALTH
05/5/2025
As Aotearoa’s health sector works to close long-standing gaps in access and outcomes, it’s time to rethink how we define and engage “hard-to-reach” communities. This article explores a shift from...
UX DESIGN
22/4/2025
At The Culture and Design Lab, we believe great design starts with empathy - and sometimes, that means tackling deeply human challenges, like loneliness. We’re incredibly proud to support our Design...
CULTURE, BUSINESS, GOVT
03/3/2025
New Zealand’s public sector has invested significantly in cultural competency programmes to improve engagement with Māori and Pacific communities. In a recent series of Official Information Act requests from The...
CULTURE
19/2/2025
This video highlights the importance of voting in the ratification process for Te Pua o Te Riri Kore and the establishment of Te Whiringa Kākaho o Ngāti Hāua Trust. Through...
TECH, CULTURE, AI
03/2/2025
The New Zealand Public Service AI Framework: Implications for Māori and Pacific Peoples Public Service through its new Public Service AI Framework. This framework guides government agencies on how to develop,...
CULTURE, BUSINESS
26/11/2024
As we look ahead to 2025, one thing is clear: Māori talent is an essential, dynamic part of New Zealand’s workforce. Yet, many organisations are struggling to connect meaningfully with...
TECH, AI
13/11/2024
As the digital age accelerates, the concept of Pacific data sovereignty is becoming increasingly critical. This was the focus of Moana Connect's Pacific Data Sovereignty Event held on November 13,...
TECH, CULTURE
30/10/2024
Over the past nine months, The Culture and Design Lab collaborated with a talented team of AUT (Auckland University of Technology) software and enginnering students to create an AI-driven cultural competency...
TIKANGA, ENVIRONMENT
29/8/2024
As someone with whakapapa links to Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River), the proposed Fast Track Approval Bill has me watching developments closely. The Bill promises to speed up approvals...
TIKANGA, HEALTH
18/7/2024
As someone with whakapapa links to Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River), the proposed Fast Track Approval Bill has me watching developments closely. The Bill promises to speed up approvals...
BUSINESS, TIKANGA
26/6/2024
A robust cost-benefit analysis (CBA) framework can help you assess the financial impact of your current and future engagement strategies with Māori and/or Pacific communities. Here's how to develop one: 1....
EDUCATION, TIKANGA
22/5/2024
The recent complaint against the inclusion of tikanga Māori in the University of Auckland’s law curriculum from January 2025 raises important points about legal education in Aotearoa. While concerns about...
TIKANGA
29/4/2024
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour draws from her personal experiences growing up in state care, when she says that focusing on a child's identity, specifically Māori children, could lead to a...
DEI
15/3/2024
A common, yet flawed argument against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives paints them as enemies of merit, claiming they unfairly prioritise skin colour over individual achievement. To me this...
DEMOGRAPHICS
27/2/2024
It’s partly cloudy here in Taumarunui, and a large group of Māori high school students have walked past my house on their way to school. On the golf course down...
BUSINESS
02/2/2024
As Aotearoa prepares for Waitangi Day this week, I think about how many in our country pride ourselves for being a fair and just society. Yet, historical and systemic barriers continue...
CULTURE
21/1/2024
The impact of Te Hui aa Motu at Ngaruāwahia on Saturday continues to reverberate across Aotearoa, even for those of us who weren't able to be there in person. The livestream...
CULTURE
16/1/2024
2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. The call for a strong Pacific voice in government came from Pacific communities and advocates after the...
ANTI-RACISM
12/11/2023
Hoani Waititi Marae recently became a gathering place for advocates, scholars, and activists at the WERO (Working to End Racial Oppression) conference. The event brought together a diverse group of...
TECH
05/10/2023
There's no doubt we're in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, but sometimes you have to look hard for an indigenous lens. It's why I think the fusion of traditional wisdom with...
DEI, INSPIRATION
28/4/2023
Kofi Douhadji is an Entrepreneur, Author, and Executive Coach.With a very poignant and inspiring background, Kofi is a first-generation immigrant to the US from Togo and author of the book 'Unbroken...
DEI
19/2/2023
The Culture and Design Lab team recently had the privilege of attending the Workplace Inclusion Aotearoa 2023 conference in Auckland. The highlight was networking with a few hundred DEI (diversity,...
CULTURE
18/11/2019
By Iulia Leilua: There’s a lump that wells up in my throat sometimes when I pass certain places in my hometown. Growing up in Taumarunui with a Samoan father and Māori mother,...
The Culture and Design Lab empowers workplace leaders to create social cohesion at work. We use indigenous knowledge, design, and strategy to foster inclusion and belonging in the workplace.