Te Tōpuni Ngārahu supercharges Māori enrolment and voting for upcoming election in new campaign ‘The Landline’ via jnr. and Māia

Independent, Trans-Tasman, creative agency jnr. and Māori owned communications agency Māia have launched ‘The Landline‘, a campaign designed to entertain, educate and encourage Māori to enrol and vote in the upcoming election.

The digital, social and influencer led campaign is entirely iwi funded and coordinated through Te Tōpuni Ngārahu. The collective effort applies the same unified approach that helped secure the Taranaki Mounga Treaty settlement, to voter enrolment and turnout.

Leaders say recent numbers underline why urgency matters. Around 54 percent of enrolled Māori voters now choose the Māori Roll, the highest proportion on record, but almost 3 in 10 enrolled Māori voters did not vote at the 2023 General Election.

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu Chief Executive, Wharehoka Wano (Taranaki, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mūtunga, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Awa), says the campaign is built around the kūmara vine, a long standing symbol of connection through the whenua: “Just as the vine spreads and links whānau across the māra and beyond, this campaign is designed to reach our people wherever they live, in a light hearted and non-confrontational way.”

jnr. Managing Director & Founder, John Marshall (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hāua, Ngāti Maniapoto) says the agency held research groups with all ages leading into creative development: “We identified that tone was going to play a massive role, especially for rangatahi Māori. It was important the creative was informative but also leaned into a fun, humorous and playful tone, steering away from anything heavy or preachy, whilst educating our people that enrolling and voting is actually pretty easy.”

Māia Founder and Managing Director, Mihi Blake (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe) says the team built The Landline as a layered campaign, with each channel doing distinct, deliberate work: “Digital and social reach rangatahi where they are, Taranaki whānau ground the kaupapa in place and well known tāngata Māori like Stan Walker and Joe Daymond deliver cut through.  Traditional media extends the campaign to whānau who aren’t scrolling, adds credibility and helps set the agenda for a nationwide discussion on Māori voting. Underneath it all, the campaign is designed to grow organically through sharing, encouraging all Māori to enrol and vote.”

The Landline was created and produced by an all Māori agency rōpū, led by jnr., Māia, Cambell Te Paa from ONPAA Media and Brandon McIndoe from McIndoe Media.

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