HERE Technologies came to us with an ambitious vision: create a digital platform that would showcase the authentic experience of living in New Zealand. This wasn't just about promoting locations or properties - it was about capturing the essence of life in Aotearoa and sharing it with the world through engaging, magazine-quality content.

The Problem/Challenge

Creating compelling content about a place is one thing. Creating content that genuinely represents what it's like to live somewhere is entirely different. HERE Technologies needed a digital magazine experience that would go beyond surface-level tourism content to showcase the real, lived experience of New Zealand.

The challenge was creating a platform that felt authentic to locals whilst being accessible and inspiring to people who'd never set foot in the country. How do you capture the intangible qualities that make a place special and translate them into digital experiences?

How We Approached It

We approached this project by focusing on storytelling and authentic representation. Rather than creating another travel website, we designed a digital magazine experience that treated life in Aotearoa as the editorial content.

Our approach centered on creating immersive, magazine-quality experiences that could showcase the diversity of New Zealand life - from urban experiences to rural communities, from established residents to recent arrivals. The platform needed to feel like reading a premium lifestyle publication whilst maintaining the accessibility of digital media.

What Made It Special/Different

Most location-focused digital experiences rely on stereotypical imagery and generic descriptions. We created something that treated New Zealand as a living, breathing community rather than just a destination.

The innovation was in creating editorial experiences that felt personal and authentic whilst being scalable and maintainable. Each story, each feature, each piece of content was designed to give readers genuine insight into what makes life in Aotearoa unique.

The Reality/What We Actually Built

We delivered a digital magazine platform at thisishere.nz that showcases the authentic experience of living in New Zealand through high-quality, engaging content.

Magazine-quality digital experiences presenting life in Aotearoa through compelling storytelling
Authentic local perspectives showcasing genuine experiences rather than tourism marketing
Accessible global reach making New Zealand's lifestyle accessible to international audiences