Te Āwhina Marae
Communications to support a major marae redevelopment.
- Client
- Te Āwhina Marae
- Online
- tam.org.nz
O’D&Co led communications for the redevelopment of Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka, helping share its vision, keep people informed and tell the story of what the project made possible for whānau.
The project
Te Āwhina Marae was undertaking a significant redevelopment to support its people for generations to come. A new papakāinga and shared community centre were an important first step, creating opportunities for whānau to live alongside the marae and participate in its everyday life.
The development represented years of planning and commitment. It brought together whānau, marae leadership, funders, construction teams and a wide network of partners.
Communications needed to support those relationships, explain the ambition and keep people connected as the work progressed. They also needed to convey the importance of the redevelopment to the wider community and potential investors.
Our role
- Communications strategy and policy
- Project positioning and messaging
- Media and publicity
- Stakeholder engagement
- Website development
- Brand identity
- Outcomes reporting
We worked alongside the marae from early planning and investment attraction through to the opening of the papakāinga and reporting on its outcomes.
Our work included communications planning and policy, project positioning and messaging, stakeholder engagement and a media campaign. We also supported a refreshed brand identity and developed a new website, giving the marae better ways to share information and tell its story.
Throughout, we helped communicate both the progress of the development and its significance for the people involved. We shared milestones, recognised the contributions of partners and brought the experiences and aspirations of whānau into the story.
As the homes were completed, our focus extended to publicity and outcomes reporting, helping the marae demonstrate what had been achieved and share that progress with its community and supporters.
The outcome
The papakāinga opened a new chapter for Te Āwhina Marae, with whānau moving into homes and a shared community space supporting life at the marae.
The communications work helped build public awareness, support stakeholder engagement and celebrate an achievement whānau could feel proud of. It also gave the marae material to report on the project’s impact and support conversations about the next stages.
Further investment and activity followed, including the restoration of Te Ahurewa, the historic church on site, and improvements to the existing kaumātua flats, alongside progress on the wider marae redevelopment.
We’re proud to have helped the marae communicate the work and recognise the many people who made it possible.
