A note from Dane

Welcome to our very first newsletter — I’m genuinely excited to be sending this. Each month we’ll be sharing what’s on our minds: the ideas worth paying attention to, the work we’re proud of, and an honest take on where AI and digital are heading. No filler, just the things we think are worth your time.

Last week I was at a dinner talk — “What politics doesn’t understand about business” with Ian Livingston — and it got me thinking. [Dane to fill in what he took away from it here.]

Anyway — on with it. Hope something in here is useful.

01 — The Navigator’s Take

The AI productivity trap: why busy doesn’t mean better

A new PwC study of 1,200+ executives confirms what we keep seeing on the ground: three-quarters of AI’s economic gains are flowing to just 20% of companies. The difference isn’t the tools — it’s the question they started with.

The winners asked: how do we reinvent what we do?
The rest asked: how do we do it faster?

→ Read our full take

02 — On the Horizon

Agentic AI

Teams of AI agents are replacing solo tools

The next wave isn’t a single assistant — it’s coordinated networks of agents working in parallel across complex workflows. MIT Technology Review named this their top trend of 2026.

So what: If your AI strategy is tool-by-tool, you’re building for yesterday. Orchestrating agents across an entire operation requires product thinking, not just procurement.

→ Read more

Enterprise Strategy

The end of the ground-up AI experiment

The best-performing companies are abandoning crowdsourced pilots in favour of top-down programs — senior leadership picks a few high-payoff workflows and goes deep, rather than letting a thousand experiments bloom.

So what: Do you have an AI strategy, or an AI activity log?

→ Read more

Human-Centred Design

AI is a collaboration problem, not a technology problem

Microsoft’s 2026 trends report is clear: the future is about amplifying human expertise, not replacing it. The design challenge is figuring out who decides what — and when a human steps in.

So what: Most organisations haven’t asked these questions yet. That’s the gap.

→ Read more

03 — In the Field

Public Sector · Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui — a window to the wider world

Wellington’s reimagined Central Library needed a digital front door for every Wellingtonian — from age 0 to 99, across every literacy level and device.

Not a council website. An invitation.

Te reo Māori leads, built in partnership with mana whenua, with a living visual language rooted in the kākano (seed) motif.

In its first two weeks:
7,100 organic users, zero paid promotion, and 1,020 new and reactivated members on opening weekend.

→ Read the full case study

04 — From the Deck

Dov steps up in Auckland
Dov has taken on the leadership of our Auckland studio and is already doing an outstanding job. His energy, judgement and care for the team make him exactly the right person to lead Journey AKL forward.

Growing our London presence
The Journey team is expanding in London as we push further into the EMEA market — an exciting moment for the studio and a sign of where we’re heading.

Journey in London — let’s meet
We’ll be attending events across London over the coming months (details TBC). If you’re at any of the same, we’d love to connect over a coffee.

Drop us a note at journey-digital.com/contact

05 — Currently Playing

What we’re listening to in the London studio

Because every good studio has a soundtrack.

Closing

Thanks for reading — it genuinely means a lot that you’re here for issue one. I hope something in here was worth your time, and that we’ve earned a spot in your inbox next month too.

One last thing — today also happens to be my son’s birthday. So if you’ll allow me a small indulgence: happy birthday, little one. You make everything else feel worth it.

May the 4th be with you.