Woods Agency
Trust Tairāwhiti Tohu Animation

Project Overview:
He tohu ora A journey of transformation. Trust Tairāwhiti is the new name for Eastland Community Trust – the regional development trust for Te Tairāwhiti. With $100 million to invest into the region by 2025, the Trust needed to better connect with its diverse communities and communicate its focus on regional wellbeing with greater clarity.After months of stakeholder, iwi, and community workshops to create a new brand, we crafted a tohu video to introduce the new mark and the korero behind the brand.

Kaupapa:
Tātau Tātau A culture of sharing. Tātau = Tātau is the Tairāwhiti version of the concept ‘what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours’. The theme of sharing is central to the Trust Tairāwhiti kaupapa, and the concept of duality which flows through the brand. Mā te ngutukura An identity that reflects its region.We partnered with New Zealand’s leading cultural advisor, Tairāwhiti artist, Derek Lardelli, to add rich layers and authenticity to our initial tohu designs. This collaboration was key to creating a brand that is both beautiful in its simplicity, yet completely unique and significant to Tairāwhiti.The Trust Tairāwhiti tohu invites its communities to walk through the waharoa on the pathway to shared wellbeing. It’s storytelling that is inclusive and carried through to the three distinct functions of the Trust, with each differentiated through colour and pattern.

Response:
TE TOHU TE TAIRĀWHITI This mark is inspired by our history and the journey of transformation we are on.POU – supporting our people: The foundation of the tohu are two supporting posts (pou) that are wide at the base to provide stability through the test of time as the best posts know how to bend and carry the weight of the people.WAHAROA – gateway to wellbeing: At the centre of our Waharoa (gateway) is a door that is always open for our people. It is the gateway on the path to wellbeing.RITO – weaving lives together: The rito pattern represents the many lives that make up our community, lives that are woven together in the sacred whiripapa pattern.WHIRIPAPA – layers of whakapapa: Acknowledging those who have come before us and those whose future depends on us.MATATOKI – strength and resilience: The entrance of our Waharoa forms a double image - firstly as a gateway for all peoples, but also a pendant, a tatau pounamu – a greenstone entrance and symbol of sincere commitment to our shared journey.TĀTAU TĀTAU – a shared relationship: The two Ts of Trust Tairāwhiti are mirror images of each other, a reflection of who we are – a shared relationship woven from many directions across our diverse communities.

Archiver’s Response:

"A poetic and powerful symbol that deeply anchors the new brand in culture and place.
This project is a great example of collaboration between communities and designers in a bi-cultural context, through a process based on mutual respect and understanding.

As the design industry embraces more and more bicultural processes and projects based on co-designing it may become a trademark/specificity of New Zealand design. Not only in its form but in its thinking and ambitions."

"Loved the use of the visual system applied over the footage."

"An informative piece of work that explains the meaning and symbolism that has been developed within the Trust Tairāwhiti Tohu icon. Well told and well-executed."

Credits & Collaborators:
Creative Director - Reuben Woods
Design Director - Phil Harris
Design Strategist - Stephen Finnegan
Designer - Sara Keranen-Gramner, Sean Peggs
Account manager - Kirsten Ogden