Ministry of Health NZ
After the award winning success of FCB’s “The Journal” NZG & HPA returned with a much larger scale brief, a website dedicated on tackling NZ’s growing depression and anxiety issue. The website had to be more than just informative gov site, it had to have multiple cultural influences, from Māori to Pasifika cultures, colour palette which worked with curtain traditional cues, custom iconography (working along side multiple traditional Māori and Pasifikia illustrators) live user-testing and intensive UX workshops. Video, photography and interviews specifically created for the website to provide content with depth, interactive self-testing application, within a vast range of age groups (18-85)
The project spanned over a 8 month period, I was the lead designer working with 2 UX
Depression
Client: New Zealand Gov
sector: DIGITAL
Agency: FCB NZ
Role: Senior CREATIVE
After the success of FCB’s award-winning “The Journal,” NZG and HPA launched a new website to address New Zealand’s rising rates of depression and anxiety. The goal was to connect with a wide audience, from Māori and Pasifika communities to middle-aged farmers, in a way that felt human and approachable.
As UI lead, I worked with UX architects to create an inclusive, culturally aware platform. We partnered with Māori and Pasifika artists to design custom icons and used calming visuals, colour, and type to create a welcoming space. Live user testing shaped the experience for real-world accessibility, while videos and interviews added relatable, emotional depth.
This remains one of the most personal projects I’ve worked on. It showed me how thoughtful design can make a real difference.
Taha Hinengaro
Represents pumotomoto, or the fontenelle of a child, and symbolises contemplation of the mind.
Taha Tinana
Represents the heat wave of Taanerore and symbolises motion associated with physical health.
Taha Whanau
Represents the trunk of the firmly rooted tree, and family structure.
Taha Wairua
Represents the seed from Rangiaatea, and symbolises the connection with spiritual origins.
