Inclusion is preparedness: Emergency Management campaign resources

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission

An accessible suite of campaign resources including an animation, case study, detailed evidence guide and a call to action booklet – making the case for an Emergency Management system that includes disabled people and tangata whenua from the start.

In an emergency, every life counts. But until now, Aotearoa’s Emergency Management system isn’t required to account for how differently people experience a crisis. That means people can be left behind at the very moment support is needed most.

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission worked with disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori to research and make the case for a fairer, more accessible system. Our brief was to take this important, evidence-based material, grounded in human rights and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and make it clear, warm and genuinely accessible.

We noticed in the content a compelling statement: inclusion is preparedness. That a system designed with everyone in mind is a stronger, fairer system for all of us. This led our thinking to create the title, look and feel of the campaign.

Expertise

Information design
Animation

Anchored in the HRC logo and its Pona brand graphic, we extended the weave into a new graphic language, with a home – a shelter, at its core. Each pona stands for an individual. Woven together, they become collective strength in unity: individual threads, something stronger together. The graphics can rise into a whare, or reach towards the sky. Colours drawn from the HRC palette make a colourful community, with black and dark blue holding the sense of risk and urgency an emergency carries.

The suite of resources was designed as one accessible set: larger text, high-contrast graphics and clear icons, in print and web-accessible PDFs. This is a campaign all about inclusion, designed to be accessible for everyone.

A Call to Action booklet opens the conversation. An invitation to talk together and create change, it sets out why partnering with tangata whenua and disabled people matters, and what an effective system looks like. This was also designed in te reo Māori to strengthen the message of including tangata whenua in emergency preparedness.

A case study centres the community of Whirinaki in the Hokianga, where the hapū Te Hikutū are leading the way – exercising tino rangatiratanga as they respond to flooding and plan for their community’s long-term resilience. The case study was designed in English and te reo Māori,

The Evidence guide gives emergency management practitioners the fuller picture: the evidence, and practical recommendations for partnering with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, iwi and hapū to create a stronger Emergency Management system.

The animation tells the story of the barriers that disabled people face, and why including tangata whenua is so valuable. Bringing the whole story together, it presents a vision of a stronger and inclusive future for Emergency Management in Aotearoa.

Feedback has been very enthusiastic and positive. You have all been such a delight to work with – so clever and creative and patient!

Frances Anderson Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission

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