Whānau Ora creates a conversation with the nation in new ‘We Dream’ campaign via Ogilvy NZ

Whānau Ora has teamed up with Ogilvy to release a fresh brand direction, website and new campaign entitled ‘We Dream’.

Delivered in the format of a compelling short film, We Dream highlights real-life challenges faced by New Zealand whānau in housing, poverty, education, employment and gaining opportunities for sustainable change.

The storyline is narrated by Whānau Ora’s own real-life navigators. Navigators are the frontline people that work directly with whānau to navigate and wrap the necessary services around them to support improvement in their lives, ultimately creating hope and the ‘space to dream’.

VIEW THE FILM

Says Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, commissioning chairperson, Whānau Ora: “Many whānau face a daily struggle for the basic necessities. This kind of struggle leaves little room to plan for improvement and take action toward eventual self-reliance. Whānau Ora values families and supports them to grow their strengths, it does not view them as problems that need fixing. This is fundamental to the approach we take.”

We Dream was released through targeted PR and digital media alongside an ambassador program featuring well-known New Zealand personalities – former All Black Israel Dagg and his wife Daisy, All Black Patrick Tuipulotu, Black Fern Ruby Tui, Silver Fern Phoenix Karaka, TV presenter Stacey Morrison, The Cougar Boys and Hurricane star Vince Aso.

Within 48 hours of launch, the campaign had saturated popular social media channels and Whānau Ora ambassadors appeared on national radio stations and news TV channels, reaching hundreds of thousands of people across the country with their message of hope.

Says Joseph Lose, communications manager, Te Whānau O Waipareira: “Partnering with Ogilvy we were able to craft a unique narrative, that started meaningful conversations around the nation about the importance of the work we do and resulted in an outpouring of public support.

“The roll out plan they designed, in conjunction with our wonderful ambassador program provided a platform for us to touch people’s hearts, we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”

The Whānau Ora policy looks to increase the well-being of individuals in the context of their whānau and so differs from traditional social and health models that focus solely on the needs of the individual in more institutional environments.

Although Whānau Ora support is available to all New Zealand families, currently those with multiple and complex needs are prioritised.

Says Huia Ngapo, marketing director, Ogilvy: “The goal of this campaign was to spread a message of hope and possibility by making New Zealand aware of Whanau Ora’s vital role in the welfare ecosystem.

By utilising integrated PR & media channels to tell their story, we were able to go beyond the device and create a wider conversation and support network for the initiative that will far outlive the campaign lifespan. It was an honour to work on such a meaningful project.”

Agency: Ogilvy New Zealand

Managing Director / Strategy: Greg Partington

Chief Creative Officer: Regan Grafton

Agency Film Producer: Matt McPhail (Film 360)

Senior Film Producer: Sage Haggart

Head of Post Production Martin Spencer

Whānau Ora Creative Director Fender Maeva