Anthem Blog

[anthemnz]

Anthems August Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whānau and welcome to Anthem’s monthly update! 

Following a month filled with many celebrations and successes for our clients and the team, we are all looking forward to putting away the winter coats and welcoming the warmer weather and longer days this spring. 

We are very proud to be named a finalist in PRovoke Media’s 2023 Australasia PR Consultancies of the Year Award.

This month the team supported the Aged Care Association with its latest campaign ‘The Domino Effect’, and we hope that together with Chemistry our work can make a difference to improve the aged care sector crisis.

We had an energetic response to the refreshed V Green, continuing our work with Frucor Suntory to bring the lifted flavour to superfans across the country.

Anthem supported Batik Air as they touched down in Auckland, launching a new service flying between Auckland and Perth on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. 

The team worked with our friends at New Zealand Story to shine a spotlight on Kono NZ, the world’s first Māori-owned wine business and a proud member of the FernMark Licence Programme.

Rounding out with Anthem life, this month we enjoyed an evening with a handful of our agile team members, a lunch out to celebrate two of our teams going above and beyond for Anthem’s clients, and welcomed our furry friends into the office for international dog day!

Aroha nui. Best wishes from the Anthem team

ANTHEM ANNOUNCED AS A FINALIST IN 2023 PROVOKE MEDIA AWARDS 

The Anthem team is over the moon to have been announced a finalist in PRovoke Media’s 2023 Australasia PR Consultancies of the Year Award. We are grateful to be the only solely New Zealand independent agency shortlisted in this category, and to stand alongside a stellar line up of trans-Tasman and Australian consultancies. Thank you to our talented team for their excellence and dedication, and to our clients for your trust and inspiring work which has allowed us to get here. The winners will be announced in late September, so fingers crossed!

THE DOMINO EFFECT OF UNDERFUNDING THE AGED CARE SECTOR

This year Anthem has been supporting the New Zealand Aged Care Association with the launch of its new campaign ‘The Domino Effect’ which aims to raise awareness of the dire situation facing our aged care sector. The campaign, which we developed in partnership with creative agency Chemistry, shows aged care beds falling like dominoes to emphasise how the crisis affects every-day Kiwis - from families stepping in and providing care for their older parents, to the ongoing impact on our health workers who bear the brunt of the overwhelmed and underfunded system. The Aged Care Association is hoping ‘The Domino Effect’ will entice action to provide a sustainable funding model to ensure quality aged care can be provided for those that need it now, and in the future. As part of this work, Anthem Executive Director Sarah Geel spoke to the 500 delegates at the 2023 New Zealand Aged Care Association conference about the important role the sector has in championing the message to spread the Domino Effect.

BATIK AIR TOUCHES DOWN IN AUCKLAND 

We had our heads in the clouds this month helping to welcome a new player into the New Zealand aviation market, with the launch of Batik Air’s Auckland to Perth service.   The Malaysian airline is part of Indonesia’s Lion Air Group and operates the route six times a week, with further onward connections to Kuala Lumpur using a Boeing 737 MAX 8.   Interestingly, around 85,000 Kiwis live in Western Australia, and travel between Auckland and Perth is back to about 96% of pre-pandemic levels, higher than the overall return to international travel (77%).   The launch attracted lots of interest, including from Stuff and NZ Herald

V GREEN GETS A TASTELIFT

Building on last month’s launch of Frucor Suntory’s refreshed V Green, we engaged a number of influencers and fans to spread the word on the smoother V Green, Kiwi’s favourite energy drink, following its flavour tastelift. Our team worked hard to make sure more fans were able to get their hands on the drink by delivering random drops to superfans.

THE FERNMARK LICENSEE LIVING BY A 500-YEAR PLAN

Every month, Anthem works with New Zealand Story to spotlight a business involved with its FernMark Licence Programme.   We recently enjoyed speaking with Dan Taylor from Kono NZ, the world’s first Māori-owned wine business. Taylor discussed how Kono NZ is led by a 500-year intergenerational plan called Te Pae Tawhiti, which instils a unique focus on preserving and enhancing the taonga of the regions in which it operates.   Kono NZ is proud to carry the FernMark because it instils confidence in the global market about the quality of its products, and bolsters the traceability and authenticity of its Kono and Tohu wines.   Visit the New Zealand Story website to discover more about the FernMark Programme and Licensees and learn more about the mana behind Kono NZ.

ANTHEM LIFE 

Meet our Agile Team 

We operate an agile team model at Anthem which means we enjoy working with a diverse range of specialists and communications professionals, who bring their individual skills and knowledge together to achieve specific, critical business outcomes for our clients. However, we don’t always get the chance to meet face-to-face.   Last week we welcomed a handful of members from our wider team to the office, to learn more about their varied careers and life experiences. To Sir Bob Harvey, Paul Hewlett, David Thomason, Louise Nicholson, and Georgina Bond, we loved having you here and hearing about your careers and past lives! To all our agile team, a huge thank you for bringing your specialist skills, industry expertise, diligence and enthusiasm to our table. 

Celebrating International Dog Day 🐕

Last but certainly not least, the Anthem team was sure to celebrate International Dog Day as a very important day in the month of August. We welcomed three furry friends, Rosie, Billie Waka and Kahu into the office, providing doggie donut treats for the dogs and dog-themed cookies for the team too of course! That's our wrap for the month!

Kia pai to rā from the Anthem Team

[anthemnz]

New Zealanders oppose layoffs during recession – survey says 

The majority (82%) of New Zealanders don’t think it is fair of employers to make redundancies during a recession, which may result in retained colleagues working harder and customer service worsening due to a leaner and discouraged workforce.  

A study1of more than 1000 New Zealanders has revealed attitudes are firmly against organisations letting go of employees during a recession and are particularly concerned about migrant workers being exploited to cut costs. 

The study, commissioned by communications agency Anthem and undertaken by Talbot Mills Research, asked the public’s views on what it deems to be fair or not when organisations need to reduce costs during a recession or financially difficult times.  

The research found just 18% of New Zealanders think it is fair for organisations to make redundancies during a recession, with men being twice as likely to consider it fair compared to woman. Within the 18% of respondents that thought it was fair for organisation to act this way, National (25%) and ACT voters (25%) were more likely to consider it fair compared to Labour (17%) and Green voters (6%).  

Nearly half (47%) of the respondents stated their trust in an employer would diminish if it had a history of cutting employees’ jobs during tough times. In addition, over a third (35%) of respondents said they would stop spending money with a business that laid off a significant number of employees, with the number higher for respondents aged under 30 (46%). However, 36% of respondents stated they were unsure about what they would do and 29% said they would continue to spend money with that business.  

Regarding consultations held with employees prior to redundancy decisions, just over a third of respondents (34%) perceived them as formalities and a ‘window dressing exercise’ for the business or organisation, a quarter (24%) felt these discussions were biased towards the employer, 21% thought these conversations were acceptable and fair and 21% were unsure.  

When asked about the exploitation of migrant labour, the majority (55%) said they were very concerned or concerned about organisations in New Zealand doing this. Among those who expressed concern, a majority (81%) called for stricter penalties for exploitative employers. Additionally, 56% supported the idea of increased protections for migrant workers, with 41% advocating for both measures.  

When respondents were asked what solution would be best when costs need to be cut, 47% said organisations should try to retain all their employees but reduce salaries by 10%, 22% said they should reduce 10% of their workforce and 31% were unsure of the best solution.  

Talbot Mills Research Managing Director, David Talbot, says, “The research should serve as a reminder to businesses that there are significant reputational risks in the way they conduct themselves through financially difficult times. This is true for smaller businesses that are closely connected to their communities, and larger businesses that are posting high profits. Businesses should ensure their decisions are seen as fair and necessary with honest and transparent communication to build understanding and trust with consumers.”  

John Miles, CEO of New Zealand Marketing Association, says to protect reputation during a recession, organisations need to consider alternative solutions before resorting to layoffs.  

“The research shows that people’s trust in an organisation can decrease significantly when staff are laid off. All organisations go through a life cycle where they need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant and remain in business. This is no different during difficult financial times. Employees and the public want to see organisations focus on adding value to their offering and consider alternative revenue streams before resorting to layoffs.”  

AJ Lodge, Partner and Employment Lawyer at Anderson Lloyd, says that businesses need to treat consultation with employees as an opportunity to solve critical business issues.  

“I was surprised to see one third of respondents consider consultation with employers as a ‘window dressing’ exercise. Some organisations make cost-cutting decisions when in financial difficulty without giving due importance to consultation, which can appear as a lack of concern for employees and ultimately damage an organisation’s reputation. Businesses should approach consultation with an open mind, because employees will often have ideas for how the business can solve the issues that put them into consultation in the first place.”  

Anthem Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Carolyn Kerr says businesses need to strike the right balance during financially difficult times between achieving sustainable financial returns while remaining in touch with consumers and their employees, to protect or enhance their reputation.  

“In the year ahead, we expect to see continued pressure on businesses to demonstrate their genuine understanding of their consumers, while making prudent decisions to manage costs and retain their staff. Those with a strong brand identity based on purpose and providing value will likely experience reputational gains. On the other hand, businesses reporting profits deemed excessive for the times or making sizeable investments need to consider the optics through the eyes of their most important stakeholders - their employees, customers and smaller suppliers.”  

Anthem’s research is part of a regular research series, Fair Enough?, examining topical issues and reputation through a fairness lens. The series aims to examine key reputational risks at play and how stakeholders are responding 

ENDS 

[1] The survey was conducted by Talbot Mills Research using a nationwide online nationally representative sample of n=1042 between the 8th and 18th of June 2023. The maximum margin of error for a 50 per cent figure at the 95 per cent confidence level is +/- 3 per cent. 

[anthemnz]

Fair Enough? research results (July 2023)

[anthemnz]

Anthem Mid-Year Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whānau and welcome to Anthem’s Mid-Year update!  The last few months have been full of milestones for Anthem, particularly in recognition of our commitment to Aotearoa's sustainable future.  We are immensely proud to announce that we have produced our first sustainability report, which showcases our commitment, progress and our achievements in advancing Environmental, Social and Governance practices. The release of our report also coincides with Anthem being named as the ESG Consultancy of the Year in the regional PR Awards Asia! We're also thrilled to announce we were awarded two PRINZ awards for our work with Spark and Doppelmayr.  The Anthem team supported the launch of Spark's Future State event which explored the forces behind the next era of tech innovation and business development.  We released the fourth episode of our podcast and research series Fair Enough? where we asked the question: Is it fair enough that companies pass on their own cost increases to customers during these challenging economic times? Alongside ANZ, Visa and FIFA, Anthem celebrated the achievements of women in business and sport at their Watch Women Win event. In Anthem Life, we celebrated New Zealand Sign Language week, completed our Whatua Te Aho Tukuruaan lessons with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and welcomed a new team member to the whānau.  Kia pai to rā Best wishes from the Anthem team

ANTHEM WINS ESG CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR AND GOLD WITH DOPPELMAYR IN PR AWARDS ASIA 

We are excited to share that Anthem has been named the ESG Consultancy of the Year in the regional PR Awards Asia 2023!   With our client Doppelmayr, the world’s largest ropeways transport operator (cable car, gondola, ski lifts) we also won a Gold award in the Transport category. Our work built an appreciation of Doppelmayr as a credible, trusted and inspiring business with viable, sustainable urban transport solutions that will help New Zealand achieve its environmental, social and economic goals.     The awards are the culmination of years of work by Anthem to reduce our environmental impact, advance Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices and strategies for our business and our clients, and foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.     We are honoured to be recognised for our work, particularly as we are benchmarked against our peers across the Asia Pacific region.  

ANTHEM'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Last Friday, we released our inaugural sustainability report which showcases how we are putting our voice and energy behind a better climate future.   We believe now is the appropriate time to communicate our achievements, focus and intent to ensure our business is purposeful about minimising our impact on, and improving our contribution to, the world around us.    We are energised by our journey of continuous improvement and will do all we can to walk lightly on this earth, support people around us and maintain a healthy and robust business that contributes positively to Aotearoa’s economic stability. 

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE

ANTHEM WINS TWO PRINZ AWARDS WITH SPARK AND DOPPELMAYR

Anthem is thrilled to have won two awards at the PRINZ Awards held last month.  Our mahi with Doppelmayr to showcase the potential of ropeway transportation (think cable cars and gondolas) in New Zealand received Silver in the Corporate and Business Public Relations category, and our work with Spark to help launch the Spark 5G Street Museum received Bronze in the Best Use of Media Relations category. The PRINZ Awards are our national public relations industry awards, so we are honoured to have been recognised. The Anthem team enjoyed an evening celebrating our fellow PR practitioners and the power of communication to help improve Aotearoa.  

SPARK FUTURE STATE: THE FUTURE OF NEW REALITIES 

A few Anthemites had the pleasure of leading the media relations programme for Spark's Future State, an event providing the opportunity to dive into the future of new realities with some of the business world’s top tech innovators. The one-day event explored the driving forces behind the next era of technological innovation and providing the cross-section of the New Zealand business landscape in attendance with actionable insights to pave success through technological and creative development. Anthem was proud to support Spark in leveraging the exceptional talent they brought to New Zealand at Future State, lining up earned media with TV3’s The Project, TVNZ’s Breakfast, Stuff, Sunday Star Times and RNZ. To hear a snippet of what was covered at the event, you can listen to Jonnie Penn’s interview on Kathryn Ryan’s RNZ Nine to Noon show through the link below.  

LISTEN TO JONNIE PENN'S INTERVIEW HERE

THE REPUTATIONAL CHALLENGES FOR BUSINESSES PASSING ON COSTS TO CONSUMERS

Our latest Fair Enough? research series, in partnership with Talbot Mills, asked the public their views on pricing goods and services amidst an economic downturn and whether it is fair enough that companies pass on their own cost increases to customers during these challenging economic times.  The research found that 81% of respondents felt that supermarkets were charging excessively and when asked which companies are doing a good job of balancing their need to make a profit with insulating customers from the rising cost of living, 91% could not name any companies.   Several industry leaders shared their thoughts on how businesses should balance increased costs, whilst maintaining customers and keeping business profits afloat. Listen to our discussion with Gemma Rasmussen, Kirk Hope, David Talbot and Ting Huang in our latest podcast below.

LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE

WATCH WOMEN WIN 

This month ANZ, Visa and FIFA teamed up to host Watch Women Win, celebrating the achievements of New Zealand women who lead in both business and sporting avenues. The event featured a panel of New Zealand women who inspire us all including Dame Valerie Adams, Olympic rower Emma Twigg, entrepreneur Simran Kaur (Girls Who Invest), journalist Miriama Kamo and ANZ’s Fiona MacKenzie, who each shared insights and inspiration for success.  The event builds on two previous ANZ’s Watch Women/Wāhine Win reports, which aimed to identify and address barriers to women pursuing goals in their chosen sporting field and how this applies to other aspects of their life, from career to personal goals or professional development, and even hobbies. Anthem was honoured to be a part of this event, supporting New Zealand women, empowering them and celebrating their successes'. Watch the full event in the link below! 

WATCH THE EVENT HERE

ANTHEM LIFE  Whatua Te Aho Tukurua

Over the past eight weeks the Anthem whānau have come together to take part in Whatua Te Aho Tukurua, facilitated by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and our lovely māhita Moana-Roa Callaghan, Baylee Watene-Kay and Tukaiora Hepi.  These sessions have helped our whānau to learn and develop their Te Reo Māori and grow their confidence when engaging with others and respecting Tikanga Māori. Moana-Roa, Baylee and Tukaiora weaved the practise of language with education on our heritage, our land, our ancestors and appreciating our culture.  The Anthem team is on a journey to integrate Māori language more into our day-to-day and become further educated with our knowledge in Māori language and culture. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Moana-Roa Callaghan, Baylee Watene-Kay and Tukaiora Hepi for sharing their knowledge and partnering with Anthem. To learn more about Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei or Whatua Te Aho Tukurua click the link below. 

VISIT THE WEBSITE HERE

Introducing Richard 

Meet Richard, our fantastic new Chief Financial Officer here at Anthem. Richard joins us with over 20 years of financial experience across private and listed companies in Auckland, London, and Singapore, bringing a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to Anthem. We asked him a few of our #MeetAnAnthemite questions to get to know him a bit better!

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

New Zealand Sign Language Week 

To mark New Zealand Sign Language Week in May, Anthem was honoured to receive a special sign language lesson from Rachel and the team at Auckland Deaf Society. Rachel gave us some inspiring insights into the history of sign language in New Zealand, the elements of deaf culture, and what it is like to live as a deaf person in Aotearoa. We were delighted to also get a chance to learn and practice some NZSL - including how to even share our Anthem purpose in sign.

To learn New Zealand sign language yourself click the link below!

WATCH OUR SIGN LANGUAGE VIDEO

That's our wrap! Kia pai to rā from the Anthem Team

Click here to subscribe to our email newsletter.

[anthemnz]

Anthem wins ESG Consultancy of the Year and Gold with Doppelmayr in PR Awards Asia 2023

Leading independent communications and marketing agency Anthem has been named ESG Consultancy of the Year in the PR Awards Asia 2023. 

Anthem and Doppelmayr also won a Gold award in the Transport category for work to establish the business as a credible, innovative and sustainable transport solution to help New Zealand achieve its environmental, social and economic goals. Anthem was also named a finalist in the Corporate Affairs category for this work.  

It is the second consecutive year Anthem has gained recognition as a top consultancy at the PR Awards Asia, having won Boutique PR Consultancy of the Year in 2022, as well as an award for the ANZ Watch Women Win campaign in the Corporate Publications category. 

Carolyn Kerr, Anthem Co-Founder and CEO, says the ESG Consultancy of the Year award is the culmination of years of work by Anthem to reduce its environmental impact, advance Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices and strategies for its business and its clients, and foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.  

"We are honoured to be recognised as ESG Consultancy of the Year at the PR Awards Asia, particularly as we are benchmarked against our peers across the Asia Pacific region. This award is testament to the diverse talents of our team of outstanding professionals who are committed to building a more sustainable future. We are energised by our journey of continuous improvement and will do all we can to walk lightly on this earth, support people around us and maintain a healthy and robust business that contributes positively to Aotearoa’s economic stability.”  

Anthem’s ESG strategy is defined by its values: Care Deeply, actively pursuing a more sustainable business that is focused on creating environmental, social and economic value; Do It Better, increasing our knowledge and capability through investing in our sustainability competency and supporting our clients to strive for improvement and to share their sustainability journeys; and Be the Difference, contributing to sustainable outcomes for our business, clients, employees, communities and environment. 

“Through this strategy, we have scaled our expertise in sustainability. Highlights in 2022 included becoming the official communications partner of Institute of Directors Chapter Zero, deepening our membership of the Sustainable Business Council, and significantly growing our work with clients to support their sustainability strategies. We also formed a research and thought leadership series, Fair Enough?, in collaboration with Talbot Mills research which analyses reputational issues through a fairness lens, covering climate change and sustainability issues,” adds Kerr. 

This work culminates in Anthem releasing its first sustainability report today, which outlines the agency’s progress, achievements and future goals.  

For client Doppelmayr, the world’s largest ropeways transport manufacturer and operator (cable car, gondola and ski lifts), Anthem devised a communications strategy to shift local perceptions of the business. Instead of being seen purely as a global tourism operator, the programme built an appreciation of Doppelmayr as a credible, trusted and inspiring business with viable, sustainable urban transport solutions that will help New Zealand achieve its environmental, social and economic goals. 

“Our communications strategy stimulated a nationwide conversation about the many sustainability benefits ropeway transport systems provide, including zero direct carbon emissions, easy access to provide mobility for all, low-cost construction and better value for communities, vehicle reduction and job and skills creation,” adds Kerr.  

The PR Awards Asia celebrate Asia Pacific’s most outstanding, inspired and successful campaigns, individuals and organisations in the communications industry. Judged by leading communications professionals and senior agency executives, the awards are an opportunity to spotlight work that drives the public relations industry forward. The list of all PR Awards Asia award winners can be found here. 

[anthemnz]

How communications should embrace diversity, accessibility and Tikanga Māori

As communicators, it is our job to reflect the communities we wish to engage with. This requires a thorough understanding of your organisation’s purpose and what you stand for and connecting that with the values held by your audiences and communities.

In April, our CEO and Co-Founder Carolyn Kerr spoke at a panel event during Brightstar's Communications and Public Relations Conference about how organisations can deliver positive sentiment and enhance their values through effective communication.

Alongside Skye Kimura (CEO of Tātou) and David Downs (CEO of NZ Story), the trio of communications experts explored how businesses can communicate authentically through championing values, including Tikanga Māori, accessibility and diversity.

Here, Caro shares her top six insights from the panel event:

Humanise your leadership: Good leadership and clear communications are essential during times of uncertainty and amid rapid changes. People prefer brands that speak like a regular person, and genuinely show how much their business is valued. Good leaders show up and articulate what their organisation stands for and speak from the heart and head.

Build equitable and accessible communications into your business. Values-based communications requires a clear understanding of who you are serving, so seek to understand the needs of those who matter most to you and what’s distinctive about them. There’s a significant role for communications and internal stakeholder engagement to improve employee inclusion.

Ensure your communications are accessible for all people, including communications tools such as close captions and audio descriptions, simplified copy and different languages, so that people of all backgrounds are heard and seen.

Authenticity is crucial. Do not fake it! Collaborate with experts, cultural advisors or your own people, and take the time to understand how your organisational values intertwine with the personal and cultural values of the people you serve.

Reputation management is critical as the economic, social and environmental headwinds increase. Social issues and adversity present an opportunity for businesses to connect with their audiences through decisions that are transparently communicated and align with their values and purpose. When business can’t do this, reputation and trust is eroded.

Your people are your brand and define your reputation. People do business with people they like and trust. Improving brand perception starts on the inside, so connect with your people through your communications strategy so they understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.

[anthemnz]

Fair Enough? research results (April 2023)

[anthemnz]

New Zealanders impatient on climate challenge, but believe losing carparks in Auckland is not the answer

The majority of New Zealanders think that building new homes in Auckland with no car parks and the removal of business-adjacent car parks in our biggest city is unfair.

A study[1] of more than 1000 New Zealanders has revealed variations in public sentiment towards efforts to reduce carbon emissions that are changing Aucklanders’ housing and travel options, .

The study, commissioned by communications agency Anthem and undertaken by Talbot Mills Research, asked the public’s views on restricting the use of cars in Auckland to address climate challenges.

Most Aucklanders agreed they would like to use their car less but alternatives won’t work for them (59%), parking close to businesses is essential (56%) and employers should do more to help reduce emissions (53%).

“There are significant transport and construction changes already underway – or proposed – affecting the sustainability of some businesses and influencing people’s decision to work or live in Auckland,” says Jane Sweeney, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Anthem.

“Cycle lanes are replacing car parks on major roads, taking a car into the central city is becoming harder as streets are remodelled to provide more pedestrian/cycle/scooter access, and new apartment buildings on the city fringe no longer provide carparks for residents.

“We wanted to canvas views around whether it was fair these efforts were impacting the way Aucklanders live and move around the city, and to delve into the reputational impacts for developers, council and transport authorities that are a huge part of such change, and CBD employers in general.” 

Nearly half (48%) of Aucklanders (and 43% of New Zealanders) want quicker and more drastic action to reduce transport carbon emissions, and would like to use their car less.

More than a third (39%) say that if given the choice they would choose to work for an employer who was doing their bit to help reduce transport carbon emissions, and 53% would expect this to include employers taking actions such as subsiding the use of public transport and enabling employees to work from home more often. On the other hand, 48% of Aucklanders say that if they couldn’t drive their car and park close to work, they would want to only work remotely and never travel into the office or CBD.

The findings showed that while the majority of respondents said government subsidies for public transport, purchasing electric vehicles, and limiting vehicle access in the CBD were fair, most thought that building new homes with no car parks and the removal of business-adjacent car parks was unfair, at 72% and 67% respectively. 53% say they would shop elsewhere if there were no carparks available close to a business.

Aucklanders shared mixed views on what impact further limitations would have on Auckland, with 36% saying more limits would make Auckland a better place to work, 35% believing it would make Auckland worse, and 37% saying they would seriously consider working or living outside of Auckland if new limits are put on personal vehicle usage and access.

When asked if Auckland’s transport emissions were to worsen, respondents felt that Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, and Government should be held most accountable, with close ratings of ‘blame’, and 45% of respondents saying there are lots of reasons to care about our climate and environment, but Auckland Council’s ‘big stick’ approach to limiting use of personal vehicles will negatively impact its reputation and goes too far.

“Aside from the public sector organisations the research revealed there are reputational watch outs for commercial and residential property developers, Auckland central business district employers, and the AA. The findings show the challenge of implementing innovative solutions to help reduce transport carbon emissions in a way that the public feels are fair and reasonable. Such solutions need to balance the need for convenience when it comes to living, travel and work options, to ensure a thriving city, and the ongoing viability of businesses in the CBD,” says Sweeney.

According to Rikki Stancich, Director, Climate and Sustainability at Deloitte, global trends indicate that the dial is shifting on personal car ownership.

“With an estimated €22bn in auto-finance forecast to shift into the European car subscription market by 2025, and with major European cities already mandating residential developers to cap car parking spaces in exchange for car share and mobility-as-a-service facilities, the writing is on the wall.

“The scale and pace of change beyond New Zealand’s borders suggests that the conversations – and the reservations - we are currently having, are misguided, and that New Zealand is bordering on becoming a laggard.”

“We have lived in this society where there has been incredible investment into our roads”, explains Stacey van der Putten, Executive General Manager, Safety, Auckland Transport.

“It’s about lifting up the other modes of transport to make them viable choices for people. It’s critical that organisations like Auckland Transport take a leadership role to understand community needs and meet the expectations of more Aucklanders.”

Jonathan Sergel, Chief Mobility Officer of the Automobile Association shares that “we’re in the midst of a massive change in the automobile industry as manufacturers move to alternative options including EVs, hybrids and biofuel. Doing even more to reduce carbon emissions is something our customers and employees are demanding. As a 120-year-old motoring club with a long history of focussing on internal combustion engines, we understand the significant reputational risk for our business if we don’t help our members transition to new modes of transport.”

The research is part of a regular research series, Fair Enough?, examining topical issues and reputation through a fairness lens. The series aims to examine key reputational risks at play and how stakeholders are responding.

Talbot Mills Research Managing Director, David Talbot, shares that he expected more differences between how Aucklanders and the rest of New Zealand view the transport restrictions within Auckland.

“Overall the research indicated broad support for action to reduce transport emissions – both from those living in Auckland as well as elsewhere in the country. Almost twice as many respondents supported faster action in terms of reducing Auckland’s transport emissions as were opposed (43% to 23%), and this sentiment was especially strong with under-30s. Of particular note, a majority of Aucklanders agreed that employers “should do more” in terms of emissions reduction initiatives.”

ENDS

[1] The survey was conducted by Talbot Mills Research using a nationwide online nationally representative sample of n=1071 between the 26th and 31st of January 2023. The maximum margin of error for a 50 per cent figure at the 95 per cent confidence level is +/- 3 per cent.

[anthemnz]

Fair Enough? research results (February 2023)

[anthemnz]

Anthem December Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whanau and welcome to Anthem’s December newsletter!

As we look towards the end of another eventful year, it is a great opportunity to step back and appreciate all that has been achieved.

November was an eventful month for Anthem, our clients, and friends.

The latest edition of our Fair Enough? research series, in collaboration with Talbot Mills Research, was released. This edition saw us ask and answer: Is it fair enough to expect employees to turn up at their workplace when their employer requires them to do so? Is it fair enough that employers should adapt their business models to accommodate remote working? What do you think is fair enough?

The Spinoff partnered with Education New Zealand to share the importance of international student exchange programmes and the benefits they bring beyond classrooms.  

Our client DOE Donuts shared pop-ups and pickle donuts in November, and is looking forward to an even more “jam”-packed silly season.

Pfizer provided Kiwis with top tips for COVID-19 going into the summer season.

New Zealand Story launched a podcast featuring the tales of successful Kiwi businesses that are proudly helping expand New Zealand’s global reputation.  We also helped Qrious share the incredible news of its $1 million paid internship programme for women, Māori, and Pasifika.

The annual Cure Kids Gala Dinner, celebrating over 50 years, helped raise much needed funds for health research to improve the lives of our tamariki.

Exsurgo founder and CEO Richard Little provided insights into his life as a health tech entrepreneur in a feature with NZBusiness Magazine.

Spark and Toitū Tahua reported the important role the finance and digital technology sectors have in reducing New Zealand’s carbon emissions.

Fullers360 announced an exciting partnership with Seachange to bring a premium zero-emission vessel to the Hauraki Gulf from September 2023. 

In Anthem Life for November, we had our biannual team offsite to make a plan for the remainder of the financial year, we celebrated International Men’s Day, and we welcomed some new Anthemites to the fold.

Read on to learn more!

Kia pai to rā Best wishes from the Anthem team

HOW FLEXIBLE AND REMOTE WORKING POLICIES ARE SHAPING ORGANISATION'S REPUTATIONS

Our research series Fair Enough?, in partnership with public opinion research company Talbot Mills, is aimed at analysing organisational reputation through a fairness lens. Our latest edition saw us ask and answer the questions: Is it fair enough to expect employees to turn up at their workplace when their employer requires them to do so? Is it fair enough that employers should adapt their business models to accommodate remote working? With the war for talent New Zealand is amid, emerging flexible and remote working options make companies and organisations desirable places to work. As communications specialists, we know that organisations need to be communicating this in their employee value proposition in order to attract the talent they need. To learn more about the results of our research and its implications for organisations thinking about their remote and flexible working policies (hint: every organisation should be!) we’ve compiled our key takeaways below.

The Fair Enough? podcast brought together industry leaders to discuss what organisations should be considering when creating flexible working policies

The Listener’s Sarah Catherall discusses our research and its implications for the post-Covid working norm

BusinessDesk’s Pattrick Smellie shares his main takeaways from the research in On The Money

For the data-lovers out there, read the full research findings on the Anthem blog

THE SPINOFF TALKS EDUCATION EXCHANGES

Education New Zealand partnered with The Spinoff to share the surprising benefits that international exchange programmes bring to students and to New Zealand.

The article comes after New Zealand's ESOL sector experienced a 92% increase in enrolments between August and September.

The article shares thoughts from sector leaders and international students on their views and lived experiences with international exchange programmes, how these benefitted them, and how it brings positive contributions to New Zealand.

Learn more about the value of educational exchanges

DOE-NUT MISS OUT ON THE CHRISTMAS CHEER!

Our client DOE Donuts had a bumper November, starting with a sold-out pop-up at Commercial Bay. CBD workers enjoyed delicious flavours like Biscoff Cream and Dark Chocolate Tiramisu… so much so that the DOE team sold out within three hours across three days!

The creativity didn’t stop, as DOE celebrated International Pickle Week with a tantalising collab with McClure’s pickles. The ‘Dickle’ – the perfect combination of sweet dough and glaze alongside savoury pickles and feta – was a hit across media and social, with some radio hosts even getting in on the fun and trying the donut on air.

Now with its focus on the silly season, DOE has launched its limited-edition MistleDOE boxes, packed with festive flavours like fruity pavlova, spiced gingerbread, and creamy eggnog. With a range of different box sizes available from 1st to 23rd December, there are variations to satisfy all Christmas needs this holiday season. We encourage you to join the festive fun and try DOE’s creations for yourself!

Order your very own Mistledoe treats

PFIZER SHARES COVID CONCERNS AHEAD OF SUMMER

Anthem’s client Pfizer released new research in November which examined how Kiwis are feeling about the pandemic as COVID-19 cases continue to rise ahead of summer.

It found that more than half of New Zealanders remain fearful of contracting COVID-19, and only 14% feel their life is back to normal post pandemic.

The research findings and the implications they have on Kiwi summer have been published across a range of media, including TodayFM, Radio NZ, and Stuff.

Learn more about Pfizer's research

NZ STORY FLYING THE FERN PODCAST

The Government’s nation branding agency, New Zealand Story, has launched a podcast featuring the tales of successful Kiwi businesses who are proudly flying their national symbol to help expand New Zealand’s global reputation. 

Hosted by CEO David Downs, Flying the Fern features 24 exporters and FernMark Licensees who have achieved international sales success, with a focus on storytelling that embraces country of origin and provenance values. Business profiles include Ecostore, Ārepa, Book Me Bob, Hybrid Bikes, FarmIQ and Trust Codes. 

“We hope that by sharing the raw, behind-the-scenes stories of how these Kiwi businesses used their ‘New Zealandness’ to break into offshore markets, other companies can take inspiration in the way they brand their own products and services,” says Downs. 

“Sharing these stories can help continue to enhance the value of ‘brand New Zealand’ – in fact New Zealand’s brand value shot up 13% from 2021, to US$248 billion in 2022, according to Brand Finance Nation Brands.”

Listen to the podcast

QRIOUS LAUNCHES DATA ACADEMY

A $1 million paid internship for women, Māori, and Pasifika has received significant interest since its recent launch by Qrious, Spark Business Group’s AI and data analytics specialist.

The Qrious Data Academy is a talent pathway initiative that includes $1 million of paid internships to facilitate a pipeline of local talent into high-demand technology careers in the artificial intelligence and data analytics industry. 

The programme has been welcomed by the local technology industry and advocates for tackling the skills shortage problem through dedicated career pathways for underrepresented communities. 

“We know that the technology sector – particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics - is set for exponential growth over the next few years, and we want to play our part through an industry-leading programme that encourages, nurtures, mentors and upskills the next generation of New Zealanders,” says Evan Wilson, Qrious Head of Data Innovation.

The launch has generated strong demand for applications, with the majority of placements already filled for the 2023 programme.

Read more about the Qrious initiative

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS WITH CURE KIDS

Members of the Anthem team put on their best dancing shoes to join Cure Kids at its annual Gala Dinner. This year’s edition was a special milestone as the non-for-profit celebrated 50 years of ground-breaking child health research.  

The gala, MC'd by The Lady Killers' Jackie Clarke, helped raise over $100k to fund vital research to help our tamariki.

One of the highlights of the night was a one-of-kind bespoke pearl necklace designed by Dame Trelise Cooper, which fetched $20,000 in a live auction.

INSIGHTS INTO THE MIND OF A HEALTH TECH ENTREPRENEUR

Our client Exsurgo’s founder and CEO Richard Little sat down with NZ Business magazine to shed some insights of his life as a health tech entrepreneur.

Richard gives a peek of his journey from chance encounters in airport lounges to pioneering the largest clinical trial of its kind. We learn about his two biggest inventions to date – the Rex Bionics exoskeleton and the Axon chronic pain headset ­– and the stories that inspired their creation.

Learn more about Richard and Exsurgo's story

CLIMATE AND BEYOND

Anthem clients Spark and Toitū Tahua, the Centre for Sustainable Finance, both released reports on their industry approach to climate challenges and progress on sustainability goals in November.

Spark’s report, ‘Meeting the climate challenge through digital technology’, outlined how 42 percent of our country’s CO2 emission reductions goals for 2023 could be met by using enabling digital technologies.

In its report, Toitū Tahua voiced the need for a tool to define what constitutes sustainable economic activities in New Zealand.

Anthem is proud to be supporting our clients on their meaningful and sustainable goals through strategic communication.

FULLERS360 ANNOUNCES FIRST ZERO-EMISSION TOURISM OFFERING FOR THE HAURAKI GULF

This week, Fullers360 announced it has partnered with Auckland-based sustainable boating designers, Seachange, to bring a premium 10-seater zero-emission hydrofoiling F8 vessel to the Hauraki Gulf from September 2023.   We are proud to support this significant milestone in the business’s decarbonisation journey, which will mark a new era in high-end tourism for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read more here

ANTHEM LIFE

Team offsite

In November, the Anthem team had our biannual team offsite, with the goal of acknowledging what we’ve achieved in the past six months, whilst attaining some ideas and insights for achieving a ‘Best Place to Work’.

We split into four teams, each tackling a particular topic around fostering a better work environment and culture. The event proved to be both motivating and productive, giving everyone a chance to showcase their ideas which could in turn be implemented to foster an optimal place of work that enables everyone to thrive.

Acknowledging the men of Anthem

Caro and Jane took the men of the office out for lunch of their choice to celebrate International Men’s Day last month. Somewhat predictably, they chose a pub as their choice of venue!

In an industry traditionally full of women, it is always a pleasure working alongside the men of the industry who share their talents and passion to help Anthem and our clients find their most powerful voice.

New Anthemites

November saw us welcome three new members into the Anthem team.

Ben Mabon joined us as a Senior Account Director, bringing a wealth of creative and strategic communications experience. Ben has more than 20 years’ experience in internal and external communications and corporate affairs with companies in sectors including financial services, entertainment, primary industry, and local government. 

We also welcomed a new Finance and Operations Assistant, Tamara McGill. Tamara, who has a proven background in diverse professional accounting roles, brings over 10 years' financial experience to support Anthem’s growth.

Lorenzo Veaila, our second TupuToa intern, also joined us. Lorenzo will be a full-time Anthemite over his summer university break, giving him the opportunity to gain real-life integrated communications experience to complement his studies. Lorenzo is already stuck into some exciting client work, and we cannot wait to see all that he achieves with us.

We’re delighted to have new Anthemites on board and are recruiting for new talented colleagues to join our growing team – check out our socials and website for more details!

That's our wrap for the month!  Kia pai to rā Miri Kirihimete and happy holidays from the Anthem Team

[anthemnz]

Study finds that organisation’s reputations will be won or lost by remote working policies

A study[1] of more than 1000 New Zealanders has implications for the reputations of organisations currently assessing how, where and when their employees should be working, and for attracting new employees.

The study, commissioned by communications agency Anthem and undertaken by Talbot Mills research, revealed 78% of respondents could not name any companies that they admire for their commitment to flexible/remote working policies. With 46% of Kiwis in paid employment considering it extremely important to have the choice to work from home when seeking a new job, Anthem’s Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Jane Sweeney says organisations are missing an opportunity.

“In this war for talent we are in the midst of, our business community needs to be telling the story of how post-pandemic, emerging flexible and remote working options make companies and organisations desirable places to work. They need to jump on the very real reputational and employee value proposition opportunities arising from flexible and remote working policies they offer to their staff, and how they engage their staff in developing these policies.”

The study found that a significant majority think that employers should adapt their business models to enable more remote working, but that it is also fair for employers to expect employees to turn up at the workplace for specific activities. 52% of Kiwis think it is fair for employers to put considerable pressure on employees to return to the office workspaces.

The survey found that Kiwis were split on their perceptions of remote and office working, with 27% thinking people are more productive working from home, while 30% think people are less productive and 31% think about the same. Conversely, employers were seen to trust their staff to be as productive at home as they are from an office by 79% of the respondents.

Anthem and Talbot Mills socialised the research with a few companies and organisations and feedback revealed employers need to focus on staff wellbeing as well as productivity when considering their flexible and remote working policies. Agreeing measures for productivity was seen as critical, beyond purely measuring time on the job.

In assessing what makes a good place to work, the highest rated factors included ensuring managers are trained to help employees get the best out of flexible working (76%); providing clear policies and procedures for effective remote working (74%); measuring the results people achieve as opposed to numbers of hours worked to assess productivity (73%); and seeking staff input into designing flexible working policies (72%). Allowing people to work fully remotely was generally considered less meaningful, with only 51% of respondents stating this would be a swaying factor in a new role.

The research is part of a regular research series, Fair Enough?, examining topical issues and reputation through a fairness lens. The series aims to examine key reputational risks at play and how stakeholders are responding.

With finding a ‘new normal’ of working post-Covid top of the agenda for many New Zealand businesses, Sweeney explains: “Fairness has become the currency by which reputations are won or lost. When developing an employee value proposition and seeking to attract the best talent, how you consult, adapt, and communicate your position and policies greatly impacts a potential employee’s perception of your organisation.”

There was general agreement from corporate leaders and workplace wellbeing experts with whom the research had been socialised that there is no ‘one-size’ fits all approach to implementing flexible working policies. Rather, employers should aim to strike a balance between empowering staff and teams to work in the ways that suit them, while also maintaining structures that unite a team. There was a need to think about the fact organisations are running communities of individuals, and there is not one practice that will work for all parties. They felt that many companies are feeling their way, trialling new approaches, taking on staff feedback and morphing policies into a business-as-usual approach.

Dr Dougal Sutherland, Chief Executive of Umbrella Wellbeing explains, “We almost fell into remote working during the pandemic, and organisations are still identifying ways that it works well.

Managers are grappling with how to monitor wellbeing when working from home, and maintain team unity when some members cannot have flexibility within their role.”

“What underpins everything when we talk about flexible working is giving people the time to do what is important to them,” says Andrew Barnes, Founder of Perpetual Guardian, 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week Foundation, and an author on the subject. “In deciding and implementing flexible working policies, managers should aim to give every staff member the opportunity to be their best at work, and at home.”

Chief Executive of Yellow New Zealand, Tracey Taylor says that “Organisations must be strategic about remote and flexible working. It can’t be something that sits to the side of a business strategy - it is a significant tool in an organisation’s people and culture toolkit.”

Talbot Mills Research Managing Director, David Talbot, concludes that “It’s clear that Kiwis consider a balance between remote and in-office working a deciding factor in finding their best place to work. To ensure employees trust their companies and feel valued and understood, consideration of employee’s collective and individual needs is essential to improve reputation.”

[1] The survey was conducted by Talbot Mills Research using a nationwide online nationally representative sample of n=1179 between the 21st and 31st of October 2022. The maximum margin of error for a 50 per cent figure at the 95 per cent confidence level is +/- 2.7 per cent.

[anthemnz]

Fair Enough? research results (November 2022)

[anthemnz]

Anthem November Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whānau and welcome to Anthem’s November newsletter!

October was an incredible month for our clients, friends, and the Anthem team.

New Zealand Story kicked off the #EyesOnNZ trend ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Draw, seeing some famous locations (and a familiar trumpet…) get excited for eyes being on New Zealand and the World Cup next year.

Oke celebrated the completion of its 25th school garden helping give Kiwi kids the opportunity to learn important life and social skills.

To celebrate a win at the International Biophilic Design Awards, Outside In shared its top biophilic design insights with Idealog.

Fullers360 announced an exciting partnership with food rescue organisation KiwiHarvest to divert up to 600 leftover food items from landfill every week to Aucklanders in need.

In another exciting launch, our client DoorDash expanded into the South Island following its entry into New Zealand earlier this year. We were delighted to help share the news of its Christchurch arrival.

Rounding out the month with a bit of #AnthemLife, Executive Director Sarah Geel shares her top sponsorship tips and the Anthem team embraces all things wellness!

Kia pai to rā Best wishes from the Anthem team

EYES ON ANTHEM

Anthem jumped on the #EyesOnNZ trend ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Draw in Auckland in October. We've seen eyes put on other iconic landmarks such as the Sky Tower and the Wellington Boat Sheds, and now on Anthem's very own big blue trumpet!

Our client New Zealand Story has helped kick off this awesome campaign to make the most of the world's focus on New Zealand as we prepare to co-host the games with Australia. Check out #EyesOnNZ here and have some fun with the Eyeifier!

LEARNING LIFE SKILLS WITH OKE

Oke, the South Auckland charity dedicated to giving Kiwi children the opportunity to learn important life and social skills by building free garden spaces, recently celebrated the completion of its 25th school garden.

At no cost to Flat Bush School in Otara, Oke built several garden beds, a tunnel house for growing seedlings, planted a dozen fruit trees and installed a new garden shed for students, staff and the local community to enjoy.

The new outdoor space has encouraged students to learn more about where food comes from and spend more time outside to learn practical life skills.

Stuff’s Sapeer Mayron took a tour of the new garden space to learn more about how Oke’s generosity has helped grow the students’ life and social skills.

Read the article here

OUTSIDE IN WINS BIG FOR BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Our friends at Outside In, alongside architectural firm Jasmax, has been awarded the prestigious Diamond Award at the International Biophilic Design Awards in Florida for its Waitakere Ranges inspired project with New Zealand’s largest litigation firm, MC.   The Biophilic Design Awards are presented to those achieving excellence in bringing people closer to nature and helping indoor spaces more closely resemble our natural environment. The MC project involved bringing an extensive terrarium to life across two floors and 15,000 square feet, allowing MC staff to experience nature throughout their entire workday.   We were delighted to help Outside In and Jasmax share the news of their award-winning terrarium.

Learn more about Outside In's biophilic work

FULLERS360 PARTNERS WITH KIWIHARVEST

The teams at Fullers360 and KiwiHarvest have banded together to save up to 600 leftover food items from landfill every week and diver them to people in need around Auckland.

The partnership between New Zealand’s largest ferry operator and largest food rescue charity will see 90% of food waste from Fullers360’s 21 onboard cafes distributed the same day that it comes off the ferries to people facing food insecurity.

We’re delighted to see our client Fullers360 partnering with another incredible Kiwi organisation to deliver sustainable outcomes.

DOORDASH LAUNCHES IN THE GARDEN CITY

October saw our client DoorDash, the largest on-demand delivery platform in the United States, expand to the South Island following a successful Wellington launch earlier this year. Now, Christchurch locals can order from a variety of local restaurants and national favourites using the DoorDash app and have more delivered right to their door. We're ecstatic to see DoorDash in the Garden City and can't wait to see its services expand further across the country soon - let us know if you are in Christchurch and manage to give it a try!

ANTHEM LIFE

Sarah Geel - Getting the best from your sponsorships

This month Anthemite Sarah Geel had her tips and tricks for getting the most out of your sponsorships published on NZBusiness. With over 16 years’ experience in the PR and sponsorships space, the Executive Director reveals her secrets to leading successful sponsorship campaigns with an ode to her time at Vodafone New Zealand. Click here to read Sarah’s thoughts on taking sponsorships to the digital age and how to become a powerful voice.

Anthem wellness and culture

For those who recall last month’s newsletter, Anthemites embarked on a 21-day step challenge in the name of mental health. Splitting into teams created healthy competition, with Anthem walking a total of 2,644,058 steps throughout the challenge and top Anthemites Sarah Geel, Jay Louisson and Scott Burke taking out prizes for the most steps!

Crew Do this month also focused on wellness, with the team heading to the nearest park for a stretch session and  lunch in the sun. Prioritising a healthy work-life balance and enjoying the benefits of time spent outdoors, Anthemites are aiming to step out of the office on lunch breaks more often.

Rounding out a busy month, Anthem Account Director Nalika treated the team to some Indian delicacies in celebration of Diwali – an Indian cultural festival signifying the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and the renewal of life. The team are loving Anthem’s renewed focus on People and Culture initiatives, thanks to the new establishment of a dedicated People team – Anna and Kirsten.

Anthemites make moves

The halfway mark of our financial year is an opportunity to reflect on, and acknowledge, the incredible work of our team. We are thrilled to share that some Anthemites are now taking on new and exciting roles – Charlotte Jackson steps into the role of Account Director, Katy Groom becomes an Account Manager, and Ellie Mynett-Johnson is now a Senior Account Executive. These moves are recognition of the exceptional development leaps all three have made in the past six months and the contributions they bring to a range of clients and projects – congratulations Char, Katy and Ellie!

That's our wrap for the month! Ngā mihi maioha

Team Anthem

[anthemnz]

Anthem October Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whānau and welcome to Anthem’s October newsletter! September featured some outstanding milestones for our clients and friends, saw the arrival of some new Anthemites, and even took the team back to the classroom to learn about te reo Māori and taking care of our mental health.

As official Communications Partner for Chapter Zero New Zealand, Anthem Chair Jane Sweeney had the honour of facilitating their webinar ‘Communicating for climate’ where she shared practical advice for the director community on how to communicate their climate story. Anthem developed The Climate Lexicon - a practical resource for directors to support their sustainability communications.

Anthem supported the Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence (CAPEs) as they held their first ever summit to discuss unlocking profitability, sustainability, and inclusivity for Kiwis in business across the Asia Pacific. The team secured an opinion piece in NZ Herald by Dr Jason Mika, expert on Māori entrepreneurship.

A campaign the Anthem team loved last month was from specialist healthcare communications agency Essence, who won big for their playful ‘Bunnies’ campaign at the global Creative Floor Awards in London. 

Rounding out the month with a bit of #AnthemLife, the team welcomed two new Anthemites, Jay Louisson as an Executive Director and Kirsten Beggs as Head of People.

Kia pai to rā Best wishes from the Anthem team

COMMUNICATING FOR CLIMATE WITH CHAPTER ZERO

Anthem's Executive Chair and Co-Founder Jane Sweeney facilitated Chapter Zero New Zealand's 'Communicating for climate' webinar on 23 September providing practical advice for directors and management about effectively communicating their organisation’s climate story. Jane discussed how evolving reporting standards provide New Zealand companies the opportunity to tell the full story about their organisation’s climate impacts and achievements. She outlined how those who are true to their purpose, measure progress against environment, sustainability and governance metrics, and articulate a clear strategy can build respect and long-term, sustainable value. You can watch the webinar here.

To support communicating for climate change, Anthem developed the Climate Lexicon – a resource for directors and others who want to better communicate their contribution to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Lexicon explains some of the key terminology around climate, sustainability, international reporting frameworks and New Zealand’s climate change agenda. 

CAPE UNLOCKS POTENTIAL AT ASIA PACIFIC SUMMIT

The Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence (CAPEs) recently held its first ever summit, aimed at bringing the country’s academic and business community together to equip Kiwi businesses with the tools to thrive in new markets, setting a course for a sustainable, inclusive, and profitable future.   Led by an impressive line-up of business leaders and top academic researchers, the Asia Pacific Summit included a strong emphasis on how Māori and indigenous business can venture into international markets in ways that reinforce their own identities and values, while also acknowledging the Asia-Pacific cultures they are working with.   Anthem was excited to be called upon to help raise awareness of the summit, by securing an opinion piece by conference keynote speaker and expert on Māori entrepreneurship, Dr Jason Mika, in NZ Herald. Dr Mika’s op-ed highlighted why the Māori economy must look towards APAC for sustained growth, and how indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystems are supporting businesses in the Asia Pacific.

Read the op-ed

ESSENCE WINS BIG IN GLOBAL AWARDS

Specialist healthcare communications agency Essence was recognised last month at the global Creative Floor Awards held in London for an astounding campaign for its client Viatris.

Essence received the top award in the Campaign (Poster) category for their playful ‘Bunnies’ campaign that spotlights erectile dysfunction treatment CILATIL, and pushes the healthcare industry’s traditionally conservative boundaries.

We’re a huge admirer of Essence and the shift they underwent during Covid to reset their brand positioning. Essence’s award win serves as a testament to their incredible hard work and drive to ensure perfectly simple ideas are ignited with creativity.

Learn more about Essence's award-winning campaign

ANTHEM WELCOMES JAY & KIRSTEN

The team is delighted to welcome two new Anthemites to the fold this month. Jay Louisson has now joined the team full time as an Executive Director, and Kirsten Beggs has stepped into a newly created role, Head of People.

With a vibrant range of communications experience in New Zealand, Bangkok, New York and London, as well as running her own public relations consultancy, Jay brings an abundance of wit, humour, knowledge, calm and logical thinking to the team.

Kirsten has a passion for enabling people to bring their best selves to work and a wealth of experience in Learning and Development, Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion and People and Culture, which has seen her step seamlessly into her new role bringing new ideas and initiatives to life.

Anthem are proud to boast Jay and Kirsten as part of our team.

TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI

To celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori this year, the Anthem team participated in a session to support integrating more te reo Māori into our day-to-day work. In a session led by Kirsten, Anthem’s new Head of People, the team practised the correct pronunciation of vowels, learned greetings and learned a karakia.

Building our understanding of te ao Māori and te reo Māori is something Anthem is committed to and we are grateful that Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori reminds us of the importance of doing so.

WALKING THE TALK FOR MENTAL HEALTH

This September Anthemites partook in a special project to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

Treated to a session with Outdoorsy’s Michelle Morpeth, Anthemites discussed ways to reconnect with nature and integrate more outdoor time into our days for the benefit of our mental and physical health. Recognising the challenges faced when trying to incorporate nature into our day, the team came up with simple ways to get outside each day, week, month, and year.

Walking the talk, Anthem has embarked on a 21-day step challenge with has seen the team racing around the office and taking meetings to the streets. Place your bets now on who will be Anthem's step champion!

To keep entertained on our daily walks we've been listening to The Nutters Club who recently dedicated an episode to the connection between chronic pain and mental health, featuring a discussion with Exsurgo's CEO Richard Little. 

That's our wrap for the month! Ngā mihi maioha

Team Anthem

[anthemnz]

Anthem September Newsletter

Kia ora and welcome to our monthly update of some of the diverse initiatives Anthem has been up to lately – from climate action and reputation leadership to payment security and Parris Goebel’s digital dance moves – we’ve had it all going on!

In August, Anthem was proud to launch our Fair Enough? research series. In collaboration with public opinion research company Talbot Mills, we asked the question: Is it fair for property to be built on, bought or sold in areas that are known to be adversely affected by climate change? Amidst wild weather events across the country, our research showed that Kiwis' opinions are hardening, revealing a stark reminder for organisations involved in the property ecosystem that what they say and do will define their reputations. 

Spark launched its Spark 5G Street Museum, an augmented reality experience that showcases the power of 5G by bringing to life the unseen stories of iconic Kiwi creatives. Available to access at five centres across Aotearoa, we encourage you to head down to your nearest location and experience the augmented reality experiences for yourself!

Anthem was honoured to attend the Institute of Directors’ Chapter Zero August event “Now or never: the role of the director in the climate crisis”. The event saw Hon Grant Robertson, Dr Rod Carr, and Dame Therese Walsh, Chapter Zero NZ Steering Committee Chair, discuss the roadmap directors should take to make climate a boardroom priority.

Dame Therese also joined Air New Zealand CEO, Greg Foran, in a conversation with NZ Herald's Grant Bradley to share how Air New Zealand's Board has made climate change a business priority. The article emphasises how crucial the relationship between an organisation's Board and executive team is in delivering meaningful reductions. 

International student Jessica Chiang featured in The Spinoff to share her and BioFab's innovative and sustainable alternative to polystyrene packaging. Made from New Zealand mushroom species, the biodegradable alternative signals an exciting and sustainable future for packaging. 

Also in August, Visa launched its Future of Security Roadmap 2022-23, outlining its plan to protect New Zealand businesses and consumers from payment fraudsters and emerging digital commerce threats.

Read on to learn more about what Anthem and our clients have been up to!

Ngā mihi nui Best wishes from the Anthem team



REPUTATIONS WILL BE WON OR LOST BY TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

In our new research series Fair Enough?, we partnered with public opinion research company Talbot Mills to ask the question: Is it fair for property to be built on, bought or sold in areas that are known to be adversely affected by climate change?   With wild weather events like the devastating Tasman-Nelson flooding becoming a growing concern, our new research shows Kiwis’ opinions are hardening against those who build or buy climate-risk property.   As communications specialists, we know that how an organisation chooses to communicate its emissions reduction and climate change adaptation actions will have an impact on their public perception, reputation, and trustworthiness.   To help you digest the research and its implications for a myriad of organisations involved in climate action – we’ve compiled our key takeaways below.  

Stuff’s Ged Cann spoke with our Managing Director Carolyn Kerr about what Kiwis think is fair in relation to property and climate change, and the impact this will have on organisational reputation and trust 

The Spinoff’s Anna Rawhiti-Connell explores what our research reveals about who can afford to care about adapting to climate change 

In our new Fair Enough? podcast, we gathered three industry leaders to discuss insights from the research and how to collaborate on climate adaptation 

For the data-lovers out there, check out the full findings of our research in our blog.  



SPARK SHOWCASES THE POWER OF 5G WITH NEW STREET MUSEUM 

Combining the power of 5G and AR, Spark launched the new Spark 5G Street Museum last month. A co-created series of Spark 5G-powered augmented reality experiences, the virtual exhibition brings to life the unseen stories of iconic Kiwi creatives: Parris Goebel, Benee, David Dallas, Teeks, and Askew One.   The exhibition is now live across centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, where users can explore new forms of storytelling through the Spark 5G Street Museum app. Anthem was thrilled to be part of the launch and to help Spark share the power of 5G through richer content experiences. Securing coverage across broadcast and print media on the day of launch, we were proud to see Spark’s 5G Street Museum across One News, Newshub, and New Zealand Herald, alongside a range of other media.

Learn more about the exhibitions



CHAPTER ZERO NZ SHARES THE ROLE OF DIRECTORS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CRISIS

As the official communications partner of Chapter Zero NZ, Anthem was honoured to attend the Institute of Directors in New Zealand's August event “Now or never: the role of the director in the climate crisis”. The event saw Hon Grant Robertson, Dr Rod Carr, and Dame Therese Walsh discuss the roadmap directors should take to make climate a boardroom priority. Hon Grant Robertson urged directors to move from intention to action, to measure what their companies do (looking at short and medium-term targets), and to move more quickly than regulation requires. Chair of the Climate Change Commission Dr Rod Carr challenged the audience to understand the whole of their supply chain including the emissions associated with goods and services, the lens applied to process and deliver consumer goods, and cautioned directors against the risks of ignorance or inaction. Read more about Hon Grant Robertson and Dr Rod Carr’s thoughts here and here. All panellists agreed that a low carbon economy is good for the environment, but it is also good for people, business, and New Zealand as a whole.

Sharing a sustainability story relies on substance. Without companies knowing their emissions profile, what they are measuring, and stated short, medium and long-term targets, they are at risk of losing favour with consumers, trust from investors, credit from the bank, and prosecution by regulators. 



HOW CEOS AND BOARDS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO ACT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

The New Zealand business community needs to set ambitious carbon reduction targets to help tackle the climate crisis. The relationship between an organisation’s Board and executive team plays a crucial role in delivering meaningful reductions.  

NZ Herald’s Grant Bradley sat down with Dame Therese Walsh (Air New Zealand Chair and Chapter Zero NZ Steering Committee Chair) and Greg Foran (Air NZ CEO) to share an inside perspective on how Air NZ’s Board and executive team have made climate change a business priority. 

Follow the link to read the full article. If you don't have a Premium NZ Herald prescription, check out this video with key takeaways from the interview.   

Read the full article



INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TURNING FUNGI INTO SUSTAINABLE MUSHROOM PACKAGING

Jessica Chiang, an international student at the University of Auckland, is on a quest to turn New Zealand fungi species into packaging, in answer to New Zealand’s plastic packaging crisis. Working with Education New Zealand to share stories of international students doing outstanding things in New Zealand, Anthem was delighted to help Jess share her valuable work. 

As Chief Science Officer of BioFab, Jessica spends her days creating a second-generation sustainable alternative to expanded polystyrene – a substance that takes up almost one third of waste field volume and does not degrade for hundreds of years. Especially bad in the ocean, expanded polystyrene attracts toxic materials that are eaten by fish and impact our food supply.  

The Spinoff’s Reweti Kohere sat down with Jessica to uncover how she is using native fungi to create alternatives to plastic packaging and discover how else they can improve our lives.  

Learn more about BioFab's sustainable polystyrene alternative



VISA HELPS PROTECT THE SECURITY OF NZ'S DIGITAL COMMERCE ECOSYSTEM

In August, Visa launched its Future of Security Roadmap 2022-23, a comprehensive document outlining the steps the organisation will be taking in collaboration with its partners to continue to secure digital commerce in New Zealand. As Kiwis' digital habits increasingly change, Visa acknowledges the need to stay at the top of its game to stop fraudsters and their new methods of attack.

The latest Security Roadmap outlines the steps Visa will be taking across six key areas to secure Kiwi’s digital payments: driving adoption of secure technologies, securing digital first payment experiences, ensuring ecosystem resilience, preventing enumeration attacks, enhancing the cybersecurity posture of ecosystem participants, and preventing New Zealand consumers and businesses from becoming victims of scams.

Learn more about Visa's security roadmap

That's our wrap for the month! Stay tuned on our socials for more exciting client announcements...

Team Anthem

[anthemnz]

Reputations will be won or lost by transparency of climate change impacts

A study[1] of more than 1000 New Zealanders has revealed what Kiwis believe to be fair in relation to property being built on, bought or sold in areas that are known to be adversely affected by climate change. The research has implications for the reputations of the myriad of organisations involved in climate action, from central and local government to real estate agents, developers, engineers, insurers and banks.

The study, commissioned by Anthem and undertaken by Talbot Mills, found that 64% of Kiwis feel it is unfair to continue to build and develop residential and commercial properties in flood-prone areas as sea levels rise twice as fast as previously forecast.

Kiwis were split on the commercial implications for insurers and banks servicing customers with property in flood-prone areas. On balance, a little over half (54%) of Kiwis believe it is fair that insurance premiums for properties in flood-prone areas are rising faster than for other homeowners. Interestingly men (60%) were more likely than women (49%) to consider this fair, and homeowners (63%) were much more likely to consider this fair than renters (43%). Younger people thought insurance premium hikes in flood-prone areas were unfair (59% against).

Similarly, roughly half (52%) of Kiwis think it is fair for banks to pull back lending for mortgages in high flood-risk locations, with homeowners (63%) more likely to consider this fair than renters (40%).

Less than half (45%) of Kiwis feel it’s fair for councils to continue to provide consents for building on land subject to one or more natural hazards under certain conditions, but the genders were divided on the matter with women (40%) less likely to say it is fair for the councils to grant such consents than men (50%).

And the large majority (82%) expect real estate agents to disclose the flood-risk status of a home while the property is on the market, with older Kiwis being particularly keen on this (45-59 year olds 85%, 60+ 94%).

The research is part of a regular research series, Fair Enough? examining topical issues and reputation through a fairness lens. The series aims to examine key reputational risks at play and how stakeholders are responding.

With extreme weather events at the forefront of New Zealanders’ minds, Anthem Co-Founder and Managing Director, Carolyn Kerr, explains: “Fairness has become the currency by which reputations are won or lost, and with an issue like this involving various industry sectors, government and community stakeholders, how you communicate your position and responsibilities greatly impacts public perception of your organisation.”

Commenting on the research, industry leaders across the banking, insurance, building and engineering sectors agreed that access to good data, cross sectoral collaboration and consumer friendly information were key to organisations helping their customers and stakeholders make good decisions about building, buying or selling properties.

Chief Executive of the Insurance Council of New Zealand, Tim Grafton stated that, “Every organisation’s reputation is at risk here. For the long-term sustainability of a business, you need to embed the risks of climate change into your strategy and business plan”.

Beca’s Group Director – Advisory and Chief Planner Amelia Linzey explained, “Our understanding of the impacts of climate change and the scale of adaptation required for all infrastructure is growing. We as professionals in delivery of infrastructure, now need to stand up and work with communities to help find solutions to enable us to adapt and be resilient, driving future focused solutions with integrity.”

“For the first time we are all realising that this is our generational challenge and everyone coming together collaboratively is one of the ways we can help solve it. Being transparent with customers will be crucial to building and maintaining trust as we navigate the uncertainty or climate change together,” shared Chief Executive of Tower Insurance, Blair Turnbull.

With public expectation putting reputations at risk, communication and community engagement becomes a powerful tool for garnering public support and building understanding. “We need to be open and clear with people about what the story is in their area. It’s crucial to discuss their individual risk in consideration of the challenges we are facing as a country,” Roger Beaumont, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association said.

Front footing actions organisations are taking to adapt to climate risk is vital according to Steve Evans, Chief Executive of Fletcher Building's Residential and Development Division.

“Beyond the social license and reputation risk of not taking action, the risk of inaction also needs to be considered. If people don’t understand why you’re doing certain things, they’re not going to support you, and while public need to make sure they are keeping themselves informed, it’s also on industry leaders to share data in a way every Kiwi can understand.”

Talbot Mills Research Managing Director, David Talbot, concludes that “It’s clear Kiwis are concerned about the adverse effects of climate change. To ensure trust in companies addressing the issue, the complexities of the issue mean collaboration and communication are key for organisations to maintain and enhance their reputations as they develop climate adaptation plans.”

-ENDS-

[1] The survey was conducted by Talbot Mills Research using a nationwide online nationally representative sample of n=1011 between the 19th and 30th of August 2022. The maximum margin of error for a 50 per cent figure at the 95 per cent confidence level is +/- 3.1 per cent.

[anthemnz]

Fair Enough? research results (August 2022)