Te Tohu - Fire and Emergency New Zealand
IN-HOUSE GRAPHIC DESIGN: APRIL 2021 - JULY 2021
Te Tohu is awarded to Fire and Emergency staff who read the new He Tīmatanga Kōrero guide and complete the online knowledge check. It symbolises the owner's progression in their cultural education and support for Fire and Emergency’s commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua.
I worked closely with the Pou Takawaenga Māori (Māori Liaison Team) to design the tohu. It was completed over two months with several concepts and ideas presented to the wider team for consideration before the final design was chosen.
The tip of the chevron faces upward, resembling the peak of a mountain and an acknowledgement of the mahi that lies ahead, and each one is hand crafted in New Zealand from recycled rimu. The design features the nine stars of Matariki, with Hiwa-i-te-rangi highlighted to represent the programme’s aspirations. The steps of the Fire and Emergency poutama design are also included, representing the never-ending journey to strive and improve.
For more information about this exciting programme, visit this link.
This was my personal favourite design project as part of my full-time role at Fire and Emergency, and I will never forget the morning it was officially launched. Over 1,000 staff completed the programme and were awarded their tohu within the first year of launch. I could not be more proud of the Kaupapa Māori team and their success
A very special thank you to Caitlin Mackay, Piki Thomas, Isaia Piho, Rachael Perkins, Raewyn Bleakley and Rebecca Farlow.
