The Regulatory Standard Bill is the perfect example of a law, policy and process being built on an unhelpful story.

As we approach Matariki we want to take a moment to reflect back on eight years of The Workshop, and share some important updates with you about our team and work.

The report on the Treaty Principles Bill is out, we reflect on our research on how Pākehā think and reason about the Treaty.

Jess’s reflections ahead of Waitangi Day 2025, with some helpful tips on how to have productive conversations with Pākeha about te Tiriti | the Treaty.

As we approach the summer holidays, our team is taking a beat to reflect on the year and what has been a time of change and adaptation for many of us working to shape a great future for generations to come.  You can read our highlights and reflections…

Today I'm sharing our new guidance on framing te Tiriti | the Treaty for Pākehā. I want all Pākehā (and others) to have the opportunity to see the potential of te Tiriti | the Treaty. Framing it well is one way we can help make that happen.

I am so excited to be launching the results of in depth research on How to talk about Community Planning for Climate Disruption. Addressing climate disruption is an ever-present focus for me, both personally and professionally. Acting wisely for our long-term good makes so much damn sense. I know that what we need is bold action. I also know that we can absolutely do what is needed and that it will make a difference. This is a shared feeling for many of us working across local and central government, in NGOs, in our public and civic institutions, in research and in business. 

We can't negate the scarcity narrative being used about government right now, it only reinforces the ideas. We can tell another story about how we can have nice things.

Like most of you, I’m feeling angry and frustrated about the spread of false information across several issues over the last few weeks. I’m harnessing these feelings to spread a different message – about the actions we can all take that work to dampen the spread and impact of false information and amplify good information and a healthy information environment. 

In this blog Minette talks about a running theme - working together as communities, and enabling wide, diverse participation in public life.

There are many of us who hold fast to our responsibilities as guardians of good knowledge and information. Knowing and using proven tactics to counter false information empowers us to reconnect our communities that have been divided by false information.

Learning how to frame and explain your issue is an important part of your strategy. Finding and using more helpful ways of talking and framing the issues we care about doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, collaboration and some new practices for how we communicate.

This blog is a bit different to our usual ones, it is a reflection on our organisational changes through the eyes of our Directors Jess and Lizzie. We’re sharing it with our whole community so you can get to know us a little better and see what drives us to do the work we do, in collaboration with many of you.

Last night we acknowledged, celebrated and farewelled co-founder and Director Marianne Elliot from The Workshop. In this blog Jess and the team acknowledge and thank Marianne for all that she has done for The Workshop and the team.

We welcomed Lizzie Edwards to the team this week as our new Director of Operations and Business Development.

6 narrative tips for how to talk about disability justice.

In her latest blog, Jess shares five recommendations about how to talk about preventing poverty.

We’re making some organisational changes at The Workshop, find out the details from our Board Chair Amanda Reid

Working to shift narratives and mindsets is long term work that focuses on shifting the understanding of the public in order to achieve and sustain change. Read about how the Rock and Balloon metaphor can help you focus your energy in times of change

It’s been 4 years since Jess wrote ‘A Matter of Fact. Talking Truth in a Post Truth World’ – a book that came out of curiosity about why people believe false information and what works to overcome it. False information is unsettling, concerning and harmful. But the good news is that across our communities many of us are in the position to do something about it. Read Jess’s blog about new bite-sized False Information training

It is okay to be mad about poor policy that doesn't make the lives of many people better. Like Jess, you may need to breathe, pause, don’t type just yet. Think about what the story is YOU really want to tell. and then get strategic.

Most of us care about climate change. So why don’t Kiwis understand the most impactful things they can do about climate change? Most simply it comes down to the most powerful narratives are insufficient to help people understand what to do.

Thanks to the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) we have a new briefing paper on how to talk about preventing poverty in Aotearoa.

Budget day is coming up, and to be honest I find it a bit hard - and I suspect quite a few other people do too. All the talk about money and whether it is too much or too little and who the winners and losers are. It makes me feel like we have lost sight of the reason we have budgets: to help us build the kind of communities and society that are good for all people to live in. Read Jess’s blog about How to talk about budgets and tax for public good.

For many of us across different communities, living in a society that cares for people and the environment matters deeply. Right now, we know people are suffering, we know that we’re damaging the environment, and we know that it is so possible to fix. So why are our decision makers not taking sufficient action? It’s unjust. I feel so frustrated. Read Jess’s blog to find out more about why anger is okay and how values framing is important if we want to deepen people’s understanding about complex issues and build support for change.

Many of us know that we can still prevent climate induced weather events like this - we can stop them getting worse and more frequent. We also know that we can do effective work to ensure when these events do happen we withstand them better. We see just how much sense there is in allocating more resources now, to prevent worse outcomes later, and protect the people and places we love better than we have. 

Just like in our personal lives, the beginning of a new year is a great time to get really clear on the impact we want to have in the world. What are the changes you’re working towards that will make the biggest difference to people and the planet? Once you’re clear on what changes are needed you can focus on your narrative strategy. 

Changing how we talk about opening our streets for people who walk, ride bikes and take public transport can help people understand and support the changes we need to create kinder, gentler more humans ways of living and moving in our cities and towns.