DDB Aotearoa Sets Goal for 50% of Staff to Speak Basic Te Reo Māori Within Two Years

Leading advertising agency DDB Aotearoa has locked in a second year of its Takitoru Uplift programme, following overwhelming support from staff to learning te reo and tikanga Māori throughout 2024.

The Takitoru Uplift programme was introduced as a part of the partnership between DDB Aotearoa and Whare Creative, which saw the launch of the Takitoru agency in March this year.

As part of the partnership, both agencies committed to provide staff with the tools to enable their participation in te ao Māori.

More than 50% of the DDB Group staff – around 110 people - participated in te reo Māori and tikanga (cultural practice) courses run by Rangi Ahipene (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Senior Cultural Advisor at Takitoru.

As well as basic language techniques, Ahipene taught the cultural value behind the phrases referencing reo huna (hidden language), and tikanga practices that could be incorporated into everyday agency life.

This included starting and finishing meetings with karakia, encouraging staff to become familiar with their pepeha, and composing a DDB group waiata, which will be debuted at the agency’s end of year hui.

Ahipene said that although he knew DDB Aotearoa was eager to learn, he had not expected more than half of the agency to come to his sessions.

“The impact the Takitoru Uplift programme has had on the Group is profound, much more than I had hoped for,” Ahipene said. “We had people from all across the agency attend, representing a variety of cultures and roles, all putting in the mahi to familiarise themselves with te reo and te ao Māori.”

Ahipene described the programme as “āwhiowhio” – the concept of learning as a continuation of what you had learnt before. A Tikanga practices booklet and bilingual comms material has been created making it easier than ever to use te reo every day.

DDB Aotearoa CEO Priya Patel was proud of how the partnership had been embraced by the agency, and couldn’t wait to take it into 2025. “DDB is committed to the programme and will be continuing and extending it in 2025, now adding level 2 Rangi’s Reo,” Patel said.

“Our ambition is that 50% of the kaimahi (staff) can speak basic te reo Māori within two years; with increased use of te reo Māori in our day to day comms, hui and advertising campaigns within three years.”

Priya Patel encouraged other organisations to engage Takitoru for the cultural uplift programme; “our team has found it simple, engaging and highly effective. We couldn’t recommend it enough.”

Since launching in March this year, Takitoru has worked with many brands, from New World, to Tourism NZ and Precinct Properties on a variety of services from te ao Māori strategy and creative services to cultural consultancy and translation.

Takitoru provides a full communications suite with the partnership offering new and existing clients the powerful combination of two award-winning creative teams utilising te ao Māori frameworks with the tautoko (support) of a joint workforce of 240.