Creating a sustainable, circular economy.  

New Zealand's coastal waters have some of the best kaimoana in the world. Yet, when a fish is caught and filleted, only 35% of it is consumed; this means 65% of the fish is often discarded, thrown away. This is a waste.  

For many, these cast-off parts of fish are considered taonga and can be helped to feed the one in six Kiwis who struggle to put food on the table every day.  

Our role at Special was to partner with the Kai Ika whānau and bring to life this incredible brand story in an authentic and distinctive way. We were tasked with creating the brand positioning, narrative and identity.  

As we worked with their team to identify the founding Māori principles of the kaupapa, our brand idea centred around the notion of individuals connecting to serve the greater community. This idea of parts of a whole' also served as a strong visual metaphor for the parts of the fish we wanted to save from landfill, notably the heads and frames.  

What started with one container of fish heads, over the last three years this has turned into more than 155,000kg of previously under-utilised kaimoana shared with the communities. And, most importantly, the Kai Ika service has grown so much that they are now delivering kaimoana three to five times a week to families and communities in need across the Auckland region.