Our Strengths
Brand
Story
We work together to define your purpose, then we craft your tone of voice and narrative for all earned and paid media.
Conscious Marketing & Communications Strategy
We bring to life creative ideas that align with your resources, your purpose, and deliver maximum impact.
Media Buying
& Strategy
With our extensive knowledge of media channels, we ensure your ad spend is intentional, strategic, and worth every cent.
Media & Influencer
Relations
We offer extensive and influential networks in both traditional and social media.
Culture and
Diversity
We help you navigate diversity, inclusion, and culture in an authentic way, and build it into the heart of your business.
Campaign
Management
We manage your entire campaign: from strategy, to execution, to reporting your impact.
Editing / Publication
Management
Newsletters (eDMs), speeches, contributed articles, media releases and websites.
Artist
Promotion
Strategic music and entertainment industry advisory. Promotion, publicity and marketing expertise for music and creative artists.
Communications
Coaching
We host media training and strategy coaching for your team.
Crisis / Issues Management
A cool, collected approach to authentic resolution through communications.
Bee
Stevenson
Co-founder
She/her
Bee brings two decades’ experience as a creative, publicist, brand strategist, marketer and writer. With qualifications in journalism, creative writing and creative advertising, Bee has led communications campaigns for a number of national and international brands.
Bee set up her own practice – Brave Bear Publicity – in 2013, with the goal to deliver brave ideas for brave clients driven by social impact.
Bee and Mihi partnered in 2020 over a shared value base and a desire to scale up their impact. Under Māia, Bee heads up our Māia cause and Māia conscious commerce pou. She works on creative strategy and brand positioning across all clients, while leading the writing team.
Based on the Kāpiti Coast, Bee is passionate about community, whānau and equipping the next generation with creative communication skills.
Mihi
Blake
Co-founder
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngai Tuhoe, Ngāti Maniapoto
She/her
Mihi knows her way around NZ’s media landscape, having worked across all traditional and new media platforms. She spent 15 years in NZ’s largest media companies integrating campaigns across digital, TV, radio and print before moving to specialise in communications.
Mihi applies her media strategy know-how and long term connections in the industry to ensure maximum impact for our kaupapa.
Mihi has a passion for supporting and empowering businesses and enterprises who have bold aspirations and a genuine desire to change their world.
She specialises in advising companies to build diversity into the heart of their business and has a particular interest in helping to build cultural capability in organisations.
Based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Mihi holds close connections in te ao Māori and alongside Noenoe guides Māori world view in the Māia team.
Tilly
van Eeden
Senior Communications Manager
She/her
Originally from the deep south, Tilly’s grandparents brought tulip farming to Aotearoa. After a 5 year-stint studying and working in the capital Tilly has made her way north and is now based in our Tāmaki Makaurau office.
She joined Māia in 2021 after completing her Bachelor of Communication degree at Massey University, where she received a Massey Scholar Award, a Dean’s List Award, and the PRINZ Prize in Public Relations Management. During her study, she gained top student awards in seven different courses.
Tilly’s star continued to rise quickly at Māia – she’s been published multiple times in the NZ media, she was behind the #GlowUpShowUp campaign for Rare Disorders and she spearheaded the 2021 launch of the award-winning MindTheGap a pay equity campaign.
She has also developed a proven formula for promotional success with recording artists, which is now used with all our independent artists.
Her ability to craft a brand narrative, crack a strategy or explode a story has led to real change for a number of the kaupapa we support. Also she’s a really nice human!
Phil
Howling
Campaign Manager
He/him
Phil is our Campaign Manager at Māia and brings a massive punch to our conscious commerce and music and entertainment pou.
A highly experienced senior music and entertainment industry consultant, Phil has over 25 years experience working within both the highly competitive domestic and international music markets. He most recently spent 12 successful years heading Warner Music New Zealand. Previously, Phil held long and successful senior level positions in sales, marketing, publicity and promotion with Universal Music, Sony Music and EMI.
At Māia, Phil helps to onboard new clients across all pou and project manages social media campaigns and activations. He also works on building strategies, especially for our whānau of recording artists.
Phil is also involved in the building of Māia Music, our platform for independent artists in Aotearoa.
Noenoe
Barclay-Kerr
Senior Communications Manager & Pou Ahurea Lead
Waikato, Ngāti Māhuta, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Māhanga
She/her
Noe worked in the media industry before joining Māia, where she gained skills presenting, translating, directing, producing, in content development and consulting – with a focus on progressing kaupapa Māori in that space. Her path has seen her working with large organisations and smaller companies who aim to build the cultural capacity of their business.
She is deeply involved in her community, which is heavily influenced by te ao Māori. Raised fully immersed in te reo Māori she has a BA in Te Reo me ngā Tikanga Māori from the faculty of Indigenous Studies at Waikato University.
Media and communications have become a passion for Noe, and this passion led her to Māia. At Māia Noe leads te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, and marries her growing skills in traditional communications with her innate knowledge and wisdom of all things Te Ao Māori, to help clients create truly integrated communications strategies that consider both business and kaupapa. She is also our inhouse video editor, with skills in social media content development.
In her downtime, Noe sails waka hourua, and helps her whānau trust to educate rangatahi and tamariki on the importance of mātauranga Māori and the achievements of their tūpuna.Noe led the Te Hau Kōmaru national waka festival and campaign, she delivered the HīkoiTo100 vaccination campaign and she leads the delivery of the Wai262 campaign.
Makere Carroll
Senior Communications Manager – Pou Ahurea Māori
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahu
She/her
With a passion for uplifting communities and bridging communication gaps, Makere is an invaluable asset to our Māia whānau and the wider community. Makere’s expertise in mana whenua engagement, strategic campaigns, and project communications is evident in her diverse portfolio, including award-winning campaigns for te reo Māori.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Communications Studies from AUT, Makere’s perspective and drive are shaped by her roots in South Auckland, her education at Kōhanga Reo and Kura Māori, and her Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Kahu heritage.
From coordinating significant events like the 50-year celebration of the Māori Language Petition at Parliament to serving as a shareholder in a Māori-owned freight forwarding company, Makere’s journey is marked by a dedication to amplifying Māori voices. As a PRINZ board member, she advocates for Te Tiriti principles in her work, striving to empower Māori practitioners and enhance Māori engagement.
Libbie
Gillard
Communications Advisor
They/them
Driven by a passion for positive social change, Libbie is committed to utilising communication as a tool for advocacy. Libbie completed their Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with distinction from Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato in 2023. Their academic journey was marked by outstanding achievements, leading to a remarkable GPA of 8.7, a testament to their dedication and skill in all things communications.
With a major in public relations and a minor in public policy, they possess a unique perspective on effecting meaningful change. At Māia, Libbie has found a perfect alignment of values and purpose, allowing them to continue their mission of driving social change through communications, with a special interest in kaupapa that benefit all New Zealanders through Māori system approaches.
From Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, Libbie’s interests outside of work include football, theatre, and being a ‘history nerd’. They joined the Māia whānau in November 2023 and quickly blew us away with their capacity, capability and intellect. Surrounded by like-minded individuals, Libbie says they are constantly inspired to grow, learn, and become the best Te Tiriti partner they can be.
Shannon Laugesen
Senior Communications Manager
Ngāti Porou
She/her
Shannon is a seasoned writer and producer with a diverse skill set including account management, digital marketing, and relationship development. A lifelong learner, Shannon has studied politics, international relations, and sociology at university.
Shannon also holds qualifications in mental health, nutrition, and copyediting, reflecting her commitment to holistic well-being. Passionate about kaupapa Māori and hauora, Shannon establishes and develops our clients’ goals through creating innovative strategies and effective communication objectives, and is the lead on hauora hinengaro-driven kaupapa, Nōku te Ao.
Hailing from Kirikiriroa, Shannon’s Te Reo Māori studies have ignited her Te Ao Māori journey, supported by her Ngāti Porou heritage on her mother’s side. Outside of work, Shannon finds balance through Muay Thai training, surfing in Muriwai (or trying to), yoga, and dabbling in music and songwriting with her faithful Border Collie, Miso, by her side.
Awanui Ririnui-Ryan
Junior Communications Advisor – Pou Ahurea Māori
Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi
She/her
Awa brings the Gen Z vibes to our tari and keeps a lot of balls in the air both inside and outside Māia life. Her journey is rooted in her love for hauora and korikori tinana. A graduate of Ngā Puna o Waiōrea, a Te Reo Māori immerse kura, Awanui’s commitment to kaupapa Māori runs deep.
Film is Awa’s first love and her involvement in the industry keeps her busy. Luckily for us, she also applies her creativity and storytelling talents to kaupapa we promote. Joining Māia in 2023, Awanui quickly embraced the world of communications and marketing, using her te reo skills to enrich the team’s work on kaupapa Māori. She also provides invaluable insight into emerging trends and platforms where rangatahi are communicating, helping ensure our strategies remain relevant and effective.
Awanui’s dedication to helping others and eagerness to learn have already made her an invaluable asset to our Māia whānau. Outside of work, she cherishes moments with whānau and friends, plays competitive tags, practises kapa haka and aspires to travel the world with personal projects in film or business.
Mary-Kate Coles
Studio Manager
She/her
Mary-Kate Coles is our dedicated Studio Manager, whose support behind the scenes is integral to the well-being of our Māia whānau. With a varied background in roles helping others succeed, spanning teaching, event management, and nurturing start-up businesses, Mary-Kate now brings her wealth of knowledge to support the co-directors and the team.
Having sold her successful business, Elderberry + Kate, in Wellington’s CBD, Mary-Kate transitioned into client success management for skincare products, mentoring salon clinic owners and managing boutique Airbnb apartments. Prior to this, she served as the Campus Manager for Elite International School of Beauty and Spa Therapy for nine years, honing her skills in leadership, training, and team motivation.
Outside of work, Mary-Kate finds joy in whānau time, pilates, yoga, golf, and pursuing her passion for music and studying change management.