Kia ora,

We have entered into Pipiri, the first month of the Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar. The kupu Pipiri means ‘to cling together’. As we move into takurua/hōtoke (winter) with its frosty mornings and long nights, this is a time to come closer together, to embrace community and connection.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not far apart

As we celebrate Matariki mā Puanga this is a time to remember those we have lost, to celebrate the present and give thanks for what we have and to look to the future, and the promise of a new year.

In the spirit of reflection, celebration and looking forward, here are some ideas for ways that advocates and changemakers can draw inspiration from the values of Matariki mā Puanga.

Whakanui - celebrate
Come together with whānau, friends, or your team to share kai, stories, and show your appreciation for each other.

Wānanga – reflect, reimagine, reset
This is a time to slow down and take time for deep kōrero, reflection, and renewal. Gather your team, collaborators, or community to reflect on what’s been and dream together about what’s to come.

Mana Taiao – connect to nature
This season reminds us of our connection to the taiao and prompts us to reflect on how our wellbeing as people is tied to the health of the natural world. Consider using this time to review sustainability practices and reflect on kaitiakitanga.

For Purpose events

Measuring with purpose: social impact measurement beyond reporting

A practical session on measuring outcomes for learning and improvement and understanding impact contribution for systems change, with Dr. Anabel Fernandez

When: 12-1pm, 27 June 2025
Where: online

Register >

We love your feedback

We’ve been running regular Lunch and Learn online events for almost a year now and wow, it’s great to look back on all the topics we’ve covered and the amazing people who have been involved.

We love to know what you’ve enjoyed, what we could do differently and what you’d like to see in future.

Share your feedback - we promise it will only take a few minutes!

Take action

The Regulatory Standards Bill: make your submission now

The Regulatory Standards Bill sets rules for how future laws should be made, based on a checklist of “responsible regulation” principles that promote ACT’s vision of a small government that protects private interests over public or collective needs.

Why it matters

The bill prioritises property and profit over people, ignores Te Tiriti, and could block laws that protect Māori rights, public health, workers, and the environment.

Watch this clip from Te Ao with Marama to learn more about the history, context and intent of the bill, and the effects it would have if passed.

Make a submission opposing the bill - It's easy

• Tania Waikato has put together a video guide on how to make your submission in just 2 minutes!
• If you prefer a form, Hāpai te Hauora has created a submission builder that makes submitting super easy, and they’ve got some great explainer resources.

Thanks to Action Station for putting together this quick guide, which includes Tania Waikato’s list of 50 reasons why you should oppose the Bill, and a detailed resource created by Jen Bennett, Melanie Nelson, Dr Ryan Ward and associates.

Submissions made directly to the parliament website close at 1:00 pm on Monday 23rd June.

Stand up for pay equity

Last month the Government cancelled existing pay equity claims and amended the Equal Pay Act, making it harder for workers in female-dominated professions – like care, education, and administration – to achieve and maintain fair pay. > Support the campaign to undo these changes and protect pay equity.

Democracy, social cohesion & the common good

At For Purpose we believe that people are powerful, and we can create a better future when we work together for the common good. But, right now in Aotearoa there’s a growing concern about a lack of social cohesion that is undermining democracy and our ability to recognise our shared values.

Here are some actions and provocations from the wider for-purpose community to help strengthen our democracy and deepen our sense of collective belonging:

• We tautoko this thoughtful response by Stella Hye Chung Jeon to the 2025 Social Cohesion in New Zealand report from Mahi a Rongo | The Helen Clark Foundation, which calls for us to have better quality conversations > Read Stella’s whakaaro.
• Health Coalition Aotearoa has been working with Transparency International, Mahi a Rongo | The Helen Clark Foundation and others to push for regulations that would bring more balance and accountability to public policymaking > Support the Level the Lobbying Playing Field campaign.
  
  
• ActionStation is teaming up with their 18 sister organisations to kickstart a global movement to take back democracy in the face of far right forces spreading hate and inequality. Learn more and join the global movement to Defend Democracy.
  
  

Anna and Zenaida in Ōtepoti. Image credit: Isabella Harrex

What we’re up to

• Zenaida is speaking at The Design Conference in Brisbane on Wednesday 18 June. She’ll be celebrating designing in the margins, sharing a call to rethink where design begins, who it serves, and how it can shift power.
  
  
• Zenaida was also a judge for the Polaris Leadership Summit and Awards, coming up on June 13.
  
  
• Anna shared some reflections on design and discovery in a blog post for Design Assembly.
  
  
• We recently worked with ThirdStory (previously Innovation Unit ANZ) with the design and build of a website that reflects their new identity.
  
  
• We built a campaign directory for Youth Homeless Matters Day, which enables people to donate to their choice of organisations in the Specialist Homelessness Sector. This is a new addition to the site we developed for YFoundations last year.
  
  
• We had the pleasure of working with Dr Hona Black on reo Māori messaging for PPTA Te Wehengarua, working collaboratively with the Te Huarahi governance group. It was moving and inspiring to hear the stories of our amazing kaiako and their vision for he hawaiki mokopuna, he Aotearoa hou.
  > Check out Hona’s mahi with Korihi here (we built this website too - tau kē!)
  
  
• We’ve been doing advocacy training with CTUM, an organisation advocating for an end to the violence inflicted by the military regime in Myanmar. They’ve just been successful in their campaign for the ILO to take action against the Myanmar junta for labour rights violations under Article 33. > Learn more about their campaign.
  
  
• Zenaida and Anna recently spent time in Ōtepoti at the beautiful Puketeraki marae, working on the design and development of an online home for LEGO SPIRIT – a collaboration between Indigenous groups in Aotearoa, Australia, Canada and the United States. This initiative works collaboratively on creating conditions for Indigenous communities and families to flourish through play and intergenerational learning and healing.
  
  

Cool stuff

Mānawatia a Matariki mā Puanga
These beautiful stories from @manawatiaamatariki are a great way to get into the Matariki vibe. Share your celebrations by tagging #matariki

Kuno - explore our planet
Kuno is an experiment to use the internet to help link the natural world to people and make it easier for people to connect with nature, share their love for nature and work for its protection. > Explore this wondrous planet we call home.

GLOW Aotearoa
GLOW is a 12 week candidate incubator that aims to support diverse, talented and knowledgeable candidates to stand at this year’s local elections by providing professional development support for community and climate leaders to stand for and thrive in local government. > GLOW up - stand for local government.

Hapori - Systems Changemaker Community
Seeds for Change has recently launched Hapori, a social media platform for systems changemakers in Aotearoa. Hapori is a space to connect with other systems changemakers throughout Aotearoa to share your experiences, suggest resources and tools, and support each other. > Connect with Hapori

Social Imagination
The Centre for Public Impact (ANZ) and ThirdStory are hosting a three part speaker series exploring the concepts, practices, politics and enabling environments for Social Imagination, a growing global practice that draws from diverse fields to help changemakers get to the roots of the issues we face and reimagine what's possible. Join session #2 How do we support and enable Social Imagination at scale?
Thursday, July 3rd, 4:30-6 PM (AEST) Online > Register here

Mānawatia a Matariki!

For Purpose