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The Future Within

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The future already lies within us

In Aotearoa, generations of people see drinking alcohol as a normal part of life.

However, alcohol can have long-term harmful effects on our health and wellbeing, and that of our whānau (family) and our children.

There is no data on the prevalence of FASD in New Zealand, but international studies and expert opinion suggest that around 3 to 5 percent of people may be affected by the effects of alcohol exposure before birth. That would mean that around 1800-3000 babies may be born with FASD each year in New Zealand.

Crucially, we know that FASD is entirely preventable. Alongside Te Whatu Ora and in collaboration with our rōpū of co-designers, Te Kapa Manawa, we created a campaign that centres five generations of wāhine to educate our audience around alcohol use during pregnancy. It supports positive action by reminding us that the future lies within.

Let’s talk about it to change it

Before we began this work, we knew that alcohol is normalised and messaging around it is pervasive. In our discovery phase, we wanted to find out more about the behaviours, beliefs and attitudes toward alcohol use before and during pregnancy in Aotearoa.

We began with kōrero with those with lived experience of FASD, in addition to conversations with those working in social services, health, advocacy, policy and Indigenous innovation.

In order for our work to be rooted in the concerns of our audience, it needed to be guided by that audience. In partnership with Te Whatu Ora, we established Te Kapa Manawa – a group of next-generation parents from across Aotearoa. This rōpū are a unifying collective that helped us connect to the voices, experiences and needs of whānau as we developed the campaign.

While acting as a guiding compass for our messaging, Te Kapa Manawa gathered the perspectives from around 100 hapori and community members. We heard stories of alcohol harm, misinformation, and how much drinking culture has firmly rooted its place into the varied ways we connect.

Nurturing collective strength

While alcohol messaging is pervasive, what emerged in our discovery phase was the innate ability we already hold to make healthy decisions now to nurture future generations.

During the co-design process we were guided by the whakataukī: Poipoia te kakano, kia puawai – nurture the seed and it will bloom. When connections to our identity, whānau, future aspirations and innate strengths are nurtured, we make stronger decisions.

From these insights, our strategy emerged. We wanted to underline the strength of whānau connections through generations – especially the strength of our māmā – and highlight the possibilities of the future.

From our guiding whakataukī, to all the discoveries we made alongside Te Kapa Manawa, a key idea emerged that the future already lies within all of us. Everything we do while pregnant has an effect through the generations, so we must nurture the future within.

Seeding an emotional connection

The Nurture the Future Within campaign takes us on an intimate and impactful journey through five generations of women. Together, they tell the story of how a mother carries the seed of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond.

Created in collaboration with the team at Film Construction, the campaign creative features a rich, warm aesthetic inspired by the colours of te Taiao. Double exposure is utilised in the visual approach to the OOH images featuring each of the five authentic wāhine, underscoring the central theme of ‘the future within’.

The campaign raises awareness of FASD and educates around alcohol use during pregnancy. It highlights that we are all future ancestors, so we all have a role to play to support positive action in our whānau and hapori.

Measuring social impact

From the outset of this kaupapa, Curative partnered with the Centre for Social Impact to evaluate the development and impact of this campaign. Alongside CSI, we will be actively measuring current changes in awareness, attitudes and behaviours

Minimising the harm that alcohol causes is an important step towards growing a healthy and equitable society in Aotearoa, for current and future generations. Nurture the Future Within reminds us that the future is already within us and it’s our collective responsibility to protect it.