Wellington Airport opens a portal to the universe in new campaign via Everyone

The rebrand of Wellington Airport two decades ago broke new ground with its “Wild at Heart” positioning. It captured the spirit of a place that has always been wild and has always had heart. For the next generation of the story, Wellington Airport and brand storyteller Everyone turned for inspiration to the stories of the Te Motu Kairangi peninsula – the very land that the airport has stood on for 65 years.

Partnering with Kura Moeahu (Te Atiawa, Nga Ruahine, Taranaki-tuturu, Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Tama & Ngati Toa), Wellington Airport and the Everyone team sought to capture the extraordinary ancestral story of the harbour, with the forces and guardians that shaped it, and to project it forward to capture Wellington Airport Rangitatau as WLG, a portal to the future.

“The best stories start with listening,” says Cameron Sanders, Managing Director, Everyone. “We were introduced to the story of the legendary bird Te Manu Muramura and the rich narratives and graphic forms that are etched into the land, water and sky here.

“And we also heard the passion and commitment of airport staff, Wellingtonians, local government and local artists when they told us what the airport means to them and how it relates to the city.”

Says Matt Clarke, CEO, Wellington Airport: “Wellington Airport has always been filled with stories, but we really haven’t had any Mana Whenua stories, stories of the land beneath the airport, and that’s something we’re really looking to introduce to the terminal and the welcome to the city.”

Another revelation was the  proximity between Rangitatau, the ancient portal the bird spirit took to the beyond, and the Airport’s place. The design team looked to draw a direct parallel between the power of this legendary portal and the role of the Airport as the region’s portal, a gateway to central New Zealand.

Says Andrew Treder, creative director at Everyone: “Collaborating closely with local artist Manu Winata (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), we explored the concept of imagining the gateway of Rangitatau – our portal to the universe.

“We created a suite of dimensional light portals that illustrated the entirety of the origin story, passing through the realms of sea, land and sky. Through this, we have looked to position Rangitatau as a portal to the universe for manuhiri returning home, a gateway to central New Zealand and a launch pad for those setting off to explore new horizons.

As air technology continues to evolve, the team wanted to acknowledge that the future is aerial, and that WLG is very much part of that.

Says Nathan Blundell, producer, Everyone: “We hope that our Airport, Wellingtonians, and manuhiri can reflect on, share and contribute to this living narrative. The launch video re-tells the origins of Wellington Harbour while inspiring its next chapter, reflecting a wish from mana whenua that these stories don’t remain as once-upon-a-time tales, but are shared in a present context and continue to evolve.”

Adds Sanders: “The new brand identity, the many touchpoints and of course the beautiful broader visual language have all been designed to honour everything that got the Airport to this point, and all that is yet to come.

“The new telling of this airport’s story is exciting, confident and vibrant. We’ve built on the emotion of Wild at Heart, but with the insights of all involved, we’ve expressed WLG as an Airport of Tomorrow and a place of unparalleled aerial activation. Our two-decade partnership with WLG has been one of passion, innovation, and collaboration. We can’t wait to see where the journey leads next.”

View the case study here.