A small group of experienced minds, working closely with you, getting to the point a bit quicker than most. You’ll deal directly with the people doing the work. Conversations stay clear. Decisions don’t drag on.

We find the idea that cuts through — the one that stands up in the real world. Then we make it properly. With care, with craft, and enough backbone to last.

  • Strategy, not guesswork.
    A lot of thinking.
    The occasional inconvenient truth.

    We help businesses figure out who they are, what matters, and how to bring that to life in ways people actually notice. That can mean strategy, campaigns, design systems, storytelling, digital, culture, workshops, products — or sometimes just helping untangle a knot that’s been sitting there for too long.

  • Every business has blind spots.
    Often, hiding in plain sight.

    We help uncover the stuff worth paying attention to — the tension, opportunity, awkward truth, or loose thread that changes how a brand moves forward.

    Research, positioning, strategy… call it what you like. We’re really just helping businesses make smarter calls with a bit more confidence behind them.

  • We don’t always take the brief where people expect. That’s usually the point.

    Sometimes the right answer is a campaign. Sometimes it’s a product idea, a partnership, a story, a stunt, a system, or something nobody saw coming until it suddenly made perfect sense.

    Our job is to look past the obvious, challenge the comfortable stuff, and find ideas that genuinely fit the problem — not just the category they came from.

  • This is where things stop being slides, workshops and clever conversations — and start existing in the real world.

    Brands people can recognise. Websites people can navigate. Experiences people are invigorated by. Content people might actually pay attention to. The small details matter here. Because they’re usually the difference between something that just looks good… and something that genuinely holds together.

  • Everyone's using it. Not everyone's being straight about how. We use AI. Deliberately, and with a lot of experience behind the wheel.

    Think of it like this: we're the conductors. We bring decades of strategic, creative and commercial thinking to every prompt, every output, every decision about what's worth keeping and what gets thrown out. AI doesn't replace that judgement — it runs on it. Used well, it lets us move faster, pressure-test ideas harder, and explore territory that would have taken weeks. Used badly, it produces confident-sounding mediocrity at scale. We've seen plenty of that.

    So yes — AI is part of how we work. But the thinking that drives it, shapes it, and holds it to account is still very much human. Still very much us.

  • We’ve worked with all sorts. Start-ups finding their feet. Household names trying not to stand still. Organisations tackling deeply human challenges. Health, energy, finance, education, retail, sport, culture, property — if it involves people, behaviour, decisions, or a bit of courage, we tend to find it interesting.

    A few good people we’ve had the pleasure of working alongside:

    Allevia Health — MoleMap — AA Smartfuel — Contact Energy — AJ Hackett Bungy — The Co-operative Bank — Dairy Holdings — Ara Institute — Metrix — Cashpoints — Real Living — Professionals — IWG/Women in Sport — Kahu — Neuroendocrine NZ

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Meet the team.

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  • Creative Instinct
    Partner

    Comfortable colouring outside the lines — provided there’s a good reason for it.

    Craig has spent his career helping brands solve problems in ways people don’t always see coming. Sometimes that’s a campaign. Sometimes it’s a product idea, a new business angle, a story platform, or something that doesn’t fit neatly into an agency-shaped box.

    From global airlines and fast food chains through to start-ups, culture platforms and purpose-led organisations, he’s built a reputation for lateral thinking that still knows how to land commercially.

    Part storyteller. Part inventor. Part professional over-thinker. Always chasing ideas that earn their keep in the real world.

  • Design Eye
    Partner

    Sees the things most people miss. Jon has spent decades crafting brands, identities and experiences that feel considered from every angle — not just the glamorous bits. The logo matters. So does the wayfinding sign nobody notices until it’s wrong.

    From hospitality and retail through to property, lifestyle and large-scale brand systems, he’s helped shape work that balances clarity, character and restraint. The kind of design that doesn’t need to shout to be remembered.

    Meticulous without being precious. Calm in the chaos. And quietly allergic to things that are almost right.

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  • Business Chops
    Founding Partner

    Part business brain, part persistent terrier. David has spent decades helping brands, businesses and organisations figure out where they’re headed — and how to get there with a bit more clarity and conviction.

    From global agency networks in London and Auckland through to building Uncle alongside Theresa, he’s worked across everything from blue-chip multinationals to ambitious local challengers. The categories change. The job rarely does: help good businesses make smarter moves.

    Commercially sharp, endlessly curious, and quietly relentless when there’s a result worth chasing.

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Black and white photo of a woman with short blonde hair, smiling, wearing a sleeveless black top, against a black background.

  • Strategic Insights
    Founding Partner

    Knows where to dig — and when to stop. Theresa has spent years helping brands and organisations uncover the insight underneath the obvious one. The thing that shifts the conversation, sharpens the strategy, or quietly changes the direction altogether.

    Part researcher, part strategist, part human lie detector. She’s worked across everything from major retail and energy brands to health, education and purpose-led organisations — always looking for the tension, truth or behaviour that actually matters.

    Straight-up when she needs to be. Thoughtful always. The kind of person who can make complexity feel surprisingly clear.

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  • People Glue
    Account Director

    Keeps the wheels turning — and the humans attached to them. With a background spanning marketing, client service and operations, Holley understands both the creative side of the equation and the practical reality of getting work out into the world properly.

    She has a knack for bringing calm, clarity and momentum to moving projects and busy teams — keeping things aligned without making it all feel overly process-y. The kind of person who can juggle a dozen moving parts while still keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

    Organised without feeling corporate. Warm without losing focus. And very good at making complicated things feel surprisingly manageable.

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  • Calm Operator
    Account Executive

    The calm one in the middle of the moving parts. Amelia has quickly built a reputation for being the kind of person clients and teams genuinely love working with — organised, thoughtful, reliable, and somehow always across what’s going on without making a song and dance about it.

    She keeps projects moving, conversations flowing, and details from slipping through the cracks. Clear communicator. Good listener. Calm under pressure in a way that makes everyone else calmer too.

    Still early in her career, but already showing the instincts, professionalism and people skills of someone well beyond her years.

CAN WE HELP
YOUR BRAND?

If things aren’t quite landing like they should, and you’re looking for something clearer, pull up a chair.

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