Movement-building insights and inspiration
Zohran Mamdani: pixel power meets people power
At For Purpose we build websites and digital tools that drive connection and action, but we also help changemakers to think strategically about campaigning and organising from the ground up. Zohran Mamdani’s command of social media, brilliant branding and savvy digital campaigning tactics in the recent New York mayoralty campaign turned heads. But, as this campaign analysis reminds us, digital tactics alone don’t win campaigns – on the ground mobilisation is still essential to winning hearts and minds.
Humour and creativity as resistance
Also in the U.S, protestors are turning to absurdist humour to fight authoritarianism, employing inflatable frogs, chickens, dancing and singing to counter heavily armed forces. Tactical Frivolity – the use of play, creativity and fun to ridicule and draw attention to an overreactive use of force – is a protest tactic that dates all the way back to the middle ages, when the tradition of carnival was used to challenge authority. Perhaps there’s still time to put a weka or wētā suit on your wishlist this silly season.
Joy to Aotearoa (and the world)
If the festive season is making you feel a little overwhelmed by overconsumption, why not try one of Take the Jump’s seven jump shifts to live with “less stuff, more joy”. We love to see campaigns that are focused on achievable actions that everyone can take – kia māia te peke!
Once the dust has settled on Christmas and we look towards the arrival of te tau hou 2026, Creative Waikato’s handbook, Joyful Steps to Community Advocacy is a tool that anyone can use to reflect on how each of us can influence change. While the toolkit focuses on arts, culture and creativity, it’s full of great prompts and resources no matter where your mission lies.
Newsletters of note
We enjoy reading a good newsletter as much as creating and sharing our own. Two favourites this year are:
Te Arawhata – free weekly e-pānui connecting Māori and Tangata Tiriti with culture, media, events and honest kōrero on the cultural connection journey.
The Hope Dispatch – Megan Salole’s hopeful, grounded newsletter on resilience, optimism and action in a complex world.
Last minute presents with purpose
Summer reading and listening
Juggernaut 2:The Story of the Fourth National Government – One way to make sense of the present is to revisit the past. The Spinoff’s follow-up to their first podcast series on the Fourth Labour Government takes us back to the era of “The Mother of all Budgets”, the Fiscal Envelope and the advent of MMP.
Pakukore: Poverty by Design – Recognising that wicked problems are a result of structural and systemic factors rather than individual choices is critical to achieving transformative change. This collection of essays explores how poverty in Aotearoa is designed into our systems, institutions, and policies.
Geneva A.M – Joy, kotahitanga and uplifting bilingual beats. The perfect summer soundtrack.
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