He Tāngata — The People

Belong amongst unlike minds.

He Tāngata The People is our shared kaupapa. It's a commitment to building an industry that truly reflects Aotearoa and offers equal belonging to everyone in it.

This is a working space, where we will house resources and tools to enable every company in our industry to find expert partners, to learn from others, and to join in action on areas that require progress.

This is an open invitation to be part of future change in our industry, to close the gaps and enable our industry to be the best it can be.

Census 2025 report cover

2025 Census Results

The 2025 Aotearoa DEI Census paints a complex picture, one of progress and promise alongside persistent inequities and missed opportunities.

We share the results in full, in the hope that our industry can interrogate the data, and help us identify ways to close the gaps identified in the research. An Easy Read version of the Executive Summary is also available for download.

Cohorts

Representation

7%

Versus 19% National Census

Inclusion Index

49

Versus 60 for all respondents

Experienced negative behaviour or discrimination

11%

Versus 1% of NZ European respondents

Representation

4%

Versus 9% National Census

Inclusion Index

44

Versus 60 for all respondents

Left a job due to discrimination or lack of inclusion

30%

More than double the industry average

Representation

41%

Have a disability and/or serious illness that affects day-to-day work

Inclusion Index

49

Versus 68 for those with no disability and/or serious illness

Representation

14%

Versus 4.9% nationally

Inclusion Index

54

Versus 60 for all respondents

Experience of negative behaviour

2x

More likely to be made uncomfortable at work due to who they are

Women in the industry

64%

33% men and 3% non-binary, Takatāpui or another answer

Inclusion Index

58

Versus 66 amongst men

Negative experience based on gender

8.8%

Reports have doubled since 2023

Communities

He Tāngata is built on the simple idea that our industry's greatest strength is its people. We are forming dedicated communities and working groups to tackle key challenges and drive meaningful change from within.

The Comms Council is seeking interest from within our industry to guide change. Use this form to express your interest in joining or creating a working group to accelerate change in our industry.

Resources

Courageous Conversations Protocol

Workshops

Courageous Conversation's Protocol

The Courageous Conversation's Protocol is designed to engage, sustain, and deepen intra-racial and interracial dialogue about race. It enables a conversation about race that is honest and uplifting, calling people into the conversation, rather than calling them out.

KWKA

Research

Kia Whakatinana, Kia Whakamanawa

A dedicated collective of kaimahi Māori aiming to embody and inspire Māori representation in our industry.

Big Chats

Resource

Big Chats

We develop & deliver a range of mental health education resources, including workshops, webinars, and web content. Drawing from the evidence base, professional experience, and best practice, we teach practical skills and tools that can be used in work and everyday life.

Casting- Inclusion & Representation

Guide

Casting: Inclusion & Representation

A draft guide for promoting diverse, culturally rich and equitable casting, currently in use with TVC casting directors and production companies. A living document, needs additional consultation and expert diversity advice.

DivergenThinking

Tools

The Cognitive Shift Initiative Programme

A targeted, measurable, and tools-based set of programmes designed to maximise cognitive diversity and neuro-inclusion throughout teams and organisations.

Sonder

Resource

Sonder EAP

Sonder is an EAP that offers a stepped model approach that provides personalised programmes for each employee.

The Inclusive Code

Guide

The Inclusive Code

A co-created series of tools designed to help you identify misconceptions and exclusionary habits commonly encountered in the communications industry. This guide offers actions to help you disrupt this thinking in your own practice, organisation and even personal life.

Women in Leadership Insights

Toolkit

Women in Leadership: Insights to Action

We know a lot about the problems women face advancing their careers into leadership. But what are the solutions? This report identifies the four most impactful factors for women's career advancement into leadership and the critical gaps for organisations.

The Outcasting Playbook - 2025

Guide

The Outcasting Playbook

Still casting the usual suspects? The Outcasting Playbook shows brands how to cast queerer, fairer, braver‚ unlocking deeper audience trust, cultural relevance, and long-term impact. Inclusion isn't optional. It's strategic.

Neurofusion.HeTangata

Resource

The Inclusion Kit

Built for teams done with bland, buffet-style DEI. This isn’t a side dish, it’s your full-flavour recipe for redesigning work, so every brain gets a seat at the table. Inside: learning that builds psychological safety and real team cohesion. Metrics that measure the environment, not the individual. Workshops that spark change not eye-rolls. And policy rewrites with teeth that stir the pot (in the best way).

Inclusion & Representation

Guide

Prod Co - Inclusion & Representation

A draft guide for production companies to use to prompt consideration of representation and inclusion to promote a more diverse, culturally rich and more equitable industry. A living document, needs additional consultation and expert diversity advice.

Te Uru Tangata

Course

Understanding Unconscious Bias

Diversity is fundamental to the advertising industry, and our ability to understand unconscious bias can create a better internal environment.