ARA Journeys: Taking Indigenous expertise to the world

ARA Journeys: Taking Indigenous expertise to the world

ARA Journeys is an incredible local success story. Started in 2018, it’s an award-winning digital studio that connects people to Indigenous stories using cutting-edge technology, including VR and AR. The company has recently started exporting its products and services across Asia and Europe, while maintaining a steady flow of local contracts. 

In 2022, ARA Journeys wanted some additional insight into its brand positioning and consulted with Good CX. Strategist, Liz Pinfold Reed worked with ARA Journeys to come up with a comprehensive brand positioning strategy. The process began with Innovation workshops in Port Waikato with the ARA Journeys team, where they talked about ARA Journeys’ purpose, how the team felt about their work, and how they successfully collaborate to produce such unforgettable experiences. 

“Good CX helped us unpack our ‘why’,” says Amber Taylor, the co-founder and CEO of  ARA Journeys. “All our team members were on the same page, but we’d never formally settled on our ‘why’ and done that kind of brainstorming session. It was a great experience – Liz is lovely. Really easy to work with, patient and understanding. She has a very gentle nature so it was easy for us to open up – we had honest discussions and authentic conversations across the team.”

Articulating the Te Ao Māori worldview for a global audience

Amber found that Good CX was able to offer a fresh perspective on how ARA Journeys could convey its values to a wider international market. 

“We are a full kaupapa Māori company and our values align with Te Ao Māori, the Māori worldview. But not all our clients are Māori,” Amber Taylor explains. “How do we articulate our values into a global view that would resonate with anyone? We needed someone who is non-Māori to work with us in this space.” 

Creating connection with place through the Te Aō Māori lens

On top of what she learned from the workshops, Elizabeth pulled together long-established theoretical models and behavioural research. She also added to her discovery by asking the ARA Journeys team to develop their own narratives. 

“The team went away and created whakataukī and prose that helped me get a unique flavour,” Elizabeth explained. “This allowed me to overlay the internal values of ARA Journey with the customers’ needs. One observation that particularly resonated from the team contributions was the importance of creating a positive connection between technology and the natural world, particularly for children. The right design cues can calm our nervous systems by visually reconnecting the users to land, sea, and sky. I like that the world can learn from this Te Aō Māori concept of holistic connection.”

Considering the Global Consumer

By building on everything she learned in the workshops and through her research, Elizabeth outlined a communication framework to explain the ARA Journeys ethos all over the world.

“The wording she gave us resonated with the wider Indigenous community, so that was a real big tick for us,” says Amber. “Around the globe, First Nations and indigenous communities often have similar values. We need to articulate those values to our clients in non-indigenous communities. Good CX was able to unpack that, and Liz’s work has really helped ARA Journeys grow in terms of framing our messaging.”

Improving the feeling of connection

Next, Good CX identified research that aligned with ARA Journeys’ work. Research topics were as varied as digital connection, the science of Awe, wellbeing, psychological safety and visual systems. She linked this insight research to ARA Journeys’ work and values, providing an internationally understood framework for its approach. Good CX showcased this research in a document that Amber still uses regularly to help her explain her work to international audiences. 

“My team are academics and active researchers, and my business partner [Dr Isaac Warbrick] is a professor at AUT. But in the past, we had only linked to a Mātauranga Māori framework – I don’t know why we didn’t think to link back to Western research; it’s quite strange,” she says with a laugh. “Liz found the academic research that draws parallels between these frameworks. Now I use a lot of those references in my writing, presentations and sales pitches.”

Global Offices on the cards for ARA Journeys in 2025

ARA Journeys started six years ago, and despite all the economic volatility over that period, the company has been growing steadily. The long-term goal is to create a network of global ARA Journeys studios, and the work by Good CX has been a vital element in Amber’s communication and sales strategy. 

“It’s all about local people creating local content,” Amber Taylor says. “Our global studios will allow that knowledge transfer of technical skills and capabilities, which helps bring expertise back into New Zealand. It means people in our offices are getting international exposure while still working on local projects. Upskilling First Nations and Indigenous people is a big piece of what we do. That gives them the tools to tell their own stories, document their own histories and revitalise their languages in the way they feel is best to do it.”

Find out more about Amber Taylor & the ARA Journey technology and team here.