WM New Zealand

WM New Zealand (formerly known as Waste Management) is New Zealand's 12th biggest company and the leader in waste and material recovery. Our challenge was to express a purpose that worked from the front line (collecting bins on time) to big picture (partnering with communities to look after the land).

Over two months we immersed ourselves into the business, its people and products including visits to landfills, recycling facilities, composting plants, secret shops, staff interviews, and consumer research through our qualitative research offering, The Research Room.

The heart of our our recommendation was to rename the company WM New Zealand – literally dropping the waste – and introduce a unifying promise: Let's take care of it/ Mā tātou katoa e tiaki. The new promise was executed in a brand video and the name officially launched in February 2024.

Placing te reo Māori at the heart of the brand promise was a first for WM, so we were careful to consult and confirm that our kupu captured the kaupapa we were aiming for.

WM Aotearoa now has a brand and promise that express its unique role within the many New Zealand communities it serves. The design assets and messaging we produced are being used on everything from site signage to corporate videos and recruitment advertising. We took care of it!