oOh!media collaborates for IWD to showcase women-led businesses
Women-owned businesses help power-up the economy, bringing innovation and diverse perspectives.
Supporting these businesses it s important through investment, buying their products, using their services, and increasing their visibility.
Aotearoa/New Zealand's largest Out of Home media company, oOh!media, is spreading awareness of women entrepreneurs in the country through a collaboration for International Women’s Day (IWD). oOh!media showcases women-led and owned businesses through a special #InspireInclusion advertising campaign eleavting visibility of women in the business world.
Delivering free advertising space for women-owned businesses
oOh!media New Zealand is using its platform and reach to #InspireInclusion by providing free advertising space for women-owned and led businesses around Aotearoa, with more than 600 oOh!media digital screens around Aotearoa showcasing women-led locally owned and operated businesses.
The IWD showcase is inclusive of a diverse range of businesses, such as financial services, retail, FMCG, and founders from different backgrounds, including Māori.
"What better way to inspire others than to champion those who are already making significant waves? As NZ's largest Out of Home network we have an important platform, and this opportunity allows us to not only empower women-led businesses but inspire commuters," explains Head of Marketing at oOh!media New Zealand, Kelly Harvey.
Meet the women entrepreneurs celebrated in this fabulous IWD #InspireInclusion campaign, and discover their businesses making an impact on communities, society, and economy.
Curated toweling to elevate bathing routines
BAINA is bringing mindfulness and purpose to bathing routines with its curated toweling brand. Through expert craftmanship and an eye for aesthetic, Founders Bailey Meredith and Anna Fahey have cleverly elevated an everyday object, with designs inspired fine art, sculpture, architecture and color theory. BAINA's aim? To remind people to take their time and be present even with daily routines. Who knew towels could be so beautiful?
Capturing people and the community
Based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, Holly Sarah Burgess is a descendant of Ngāpuhi and Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi. Holly's company, Holly Burgess Photographer, is grounded in her whakapapa, or genealogy, a fundamental principle in Māori culture. Holly is constantly growing her impressive portfolio of fashion, people and community, exploring different ways to capture people in place. Holly’s work is the culmination of her desire to tell a meaningful story, informed and grounded by the collectives of which she is a part.
Sustainable jewelry made to last
Created for women who appreciate style with empathy, Jasmin Sparrow works with ethically-sourced stones and recycled metals to produce environmentally conscious jewelry. Each collection pairs a selection of gemstones that are sourced worldwide from mines that are dedicated to using ethical mining and cutting practices. All pieces are made using recycled metals, and are designed around the organic shape and form of the stone, resulting in a unique piece to be passed down generations.
Serving the neighborhood through books
While many businesses closed during the pandemic, the idea for Lamplight Books came from conversations between lockdowns. With their well-laid plans in tatters, founders Melanie and Courtney decided to adapt to their changed landscape and take a different path into retail. Now, Lamplight Books is an independent store filled with gorgeous books thoughtfully selected to celebrate Te Ao Māori and serve the neighborhood, from the classics and the contemporary, with a special focus on art, design, and architecture.
A virtual sanctuary for the book-obsessed
No need to leave your home to expand your to-be-read pile. Online indie bookshop Bookety Book Books provides a virtual sanctuary for the bookworms by delivering stories straight to your door. Selected from a wide and diverse range of both local and international authors, Bookety Book Books chooses books that challenge and inspire, move and to shake. Bookety Book Books is also creating a community of like-minded bookish people who can chat, recommend reads, and write and access reviews.
Normalizing an alcohol-free lifestyle
Alcohol-free drinks are growing in popularity, and AF Drinks is riding the wave. An accomplished and award-winning entrepreneur, Lisa's experience of cutting back on alcohol made her more aware of the sober curious movement, and the things that made it hard to cut back on alcohol, even when we want to. And so AF Drinks was born, creating a conversation and community for the sober curious and normalizing an alcohol-free lifestyle.
Creating high-quality clothes inspired by women
Dominique Healy creates trans-seasonal pieces inspired by women. A far cry from fast fashion, the label supports and promotes local and ethical clothing production. Every one of these wonderful garments is carefully considered and constructed locally from high-quality fabrics, all made to stand the test of time. The label's founder, Dominique, brings a passion to her products from her previous work for a fabric wholesaler.
Platforming uncensored conversations with Asian creatives
Listen to uncensored conversations with Asian creatives in Aotearoa via a pioneering podcast. Asian in Aotearoa creates a space for exploring the lived experiences, thoughts, and hot takes of young Asian creatives. Hosted by Jenna Wee, Malaysian-Chinese, Melanau, Japanese, and Pākehā born & raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, each episode features a new guest that discusses the concept of home and transnational ties, identity, parents, relationships, sex, racism, body/beauty, healing - and how this all shapes the way they move through the world and influences their creative work.
Evidence-based and natural skincare
Inquisitive, analytical and forever searching to prove the impossible, possible - Emma Lewisham always felt she would do something meaningful in her work. So she founded the eponymous Emma Lewisham beauty brand, which is all about evidence-based and natural skincare, championing a climate-positive and transparent industry.
Producing hand-made, unique ceramics
No two pieces from Fiona Mackay Ceramics are the same. Working from her home studio in Auckland, Fiona made the switch from furniture designer to create small-run functional stoneware ceramics. Working with a palette of soft matt muted grays and greens, Fiona's gorgeous ceramics, with their simple, clean forms, reflect the time taken in each step of the process, highlighting their creator's interest and love of attention to detail, texture, and finish.
Helping babies and parents have a good night's sleep
Becoming a new parent is hard - Growbright is here to make the journey a little bit easier. Growbright helps parents sleep better and live better by bringing them bright ideas, beautifully designed products and non-judgmental support, all in a practical, fresh new way. This fantastic mission is delivered by the company's founder, Natalie, a mother of two. Using passion and experience, Natalie has filled a gap in the market for safer, smarter, and simpler sleep products that make life easier and happier for both babies and their parents.
Transforming the women's work wardrobe
Sarah Harris Gould and Lauren Tapper met while working together for a global clothing brand in New Zealand. The duo saw the potential for high-quality, directional women's shirting at an accessible price point. Now, Harris Tapper curates collections of women's ready-to-wear shirting that boast easy elegance, subversive femininity and sculptural minimalism. Harris Tapper is evolving the work wardrobe with off-beat pieces that change with each season and innovates workwear staples, masculine tailoring, and hard-working pieces.
Dressing leading New Zealand women
Fashion designer Liz Mitchell is a highly celebrated entrepreneur. In 2005, Liz was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, MNZM, for her service to the fashion industry. Working out of her Auckland-based atelier, Liz and her team champion handmade craftmanship, bespoke tailoring and New Zealand wool through clothes of timeless elegance, quality and sustainability.
Promoting Māori language and culture
A design studio in Tauranga, Maimoa Creative has an important mission: to promote the Māori language and culture through unique designs, products and resources. The woman behind Maimoa Creative is Aroha, a graphic designer, hand lettering artist, wife, mother, perfectionist, learner, and advocate for te reo Māori. Maimoa Creative was birthed out of her desire to fuse two of her passions - typography and te ao Māori - to help normalize te reo Māori in Aotearoa and support other learners on their journey.
Curating beautiful clothes from leading designers
MUSE curates beautiful clothes from the best in women's fashion today. Directed by Olivia Vincent Healy, MUSE selects the best pieces from collections by Victoria Beckham, Coperni, Christopher Esber, Celine, Saint Laurent, and more. Olivia has made MUSE an essential part of New Zealand’s boutique shopping landscape, using her talent for curating and designing exactly the right pieces, every season, to help women of all ages live their best life.
An subversive and defiant fashion label
Another fabulous fashion company, NOM*d honors the sharp intelligence and deep individuality of the wearer. Founded by Margarita Robertson in 1986 in Dunedin, NOM*d clothing is understated and subversive. Taking an irreverent approach to tailored silhouettes and utilitarian textiles, the label creates clothes that are experimental, enduring, and defiant.
Luxury lingerie for all bodies and sizes
OHEN is a luxury lingerie label inclusive of all bodies and sizes, founded by Lu Blade-Bittle and Anja Bucher. Each piece is crafted by technical experts with over 20 years of experience, ensuring exceptional quality and minimal waste. With a focus on the bespoke, the sophisticated, and the subversive, OHEN is the perfect brand for women with subtly non-conformist tastes.
Helping pregnant women connect with their bodies
When Lara Henderson was pregnant with her first child in 2018, she was both surprised and frustrated by the lack of natural, high-quality pregnancy-specific body products available. Lara took matters into her own hands. Pure Mama was born, offering high-quality and deeply-nourishing skincare that women can trust to help them connect with their bodies. Pure Mama is changing the pregnancy skincare industry, supporting modern mothers during a time of significant physical, psychological, and emotional change.
Changing the garment manufacturing business
When Rachel Mills and her mother, Adrienne, took over a garment manufacturing business, they experienced first-hand the kind of pressure the skills side of the industry is under, to work hard, for very little pay, and the difficulties for the industry to continue on in this way. From this, they created the Rachel Mills brand, which supports the industry, employees, and customers. Each piece is developed with careful thought about how garments can be designed and made in a way to maximize the machinists' time, offering everyday pieces at an accessible price.
Offering high-quality ear protection
Sets inspires inclusion by providing the best audible experience through protection, education, and accessibility. Created in response to ineffective and unglamorous ear protection during gigs and club nights, Sets offers a design-forward solution to ringing ears that comfortable, reusable, effective, and widely available. Through their brand, founders Grace Ko and Emily Janus want to spread much-needed awareness about how precious our hearing is, for everyone to have access to quality hearing protection, and for wearing earplugs to be a wellness norm.
In response to oOh!media's IWD campaign, Grace and Emily said: “We’re not strangers to facing gender adversity as a business in the music industry, due to its male dominated nature, so to be recognized and celebrated as women-led is extra impactful. We get a lot of energy and fuel from the support of wāhine collectives, and it is wonderful to see a campaign uplifting the community. Advocating for safer club practices via quality hearing protection was born through the experience of being a minority in the industry/club. This plays a huge part in our vision for a safer, more inclusive nightlife ecosystem.”
Timeless pieces for children
Friends Eloise Shanahan and Ally Munro dreamed up Sonnie as a solution to meet their own needs for quality, stylish wardrobe staples they could buy for their boys right in New Zealand. With six children between them, the Kiwi mothers had a clear vision - a children’s clothing label that was functional but fashionable, with a focus on timeless pieces that can be worn, loved and passed down.
Socially-conscious, gender-neutral brand
Starving Artists Fund is a socially conscious, gender-neutral brand based in Auckland. Inclusion, sustainability, and community are at the heart of this fabulous company - all its items are size-inclusive and ethically made in New Zealand. The company is spearheaded by the talented Natasha Ovel, a self-taught fashion designer who debuted her first collection at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2018.
The world's first climate-change focused toy company
Sustained Fun is the world's first climate-change focused toy company disrupting the status quo. Established by ecologist Helen Townsend and marine biologist Anthea Ibell, Sustained Fun is founded on environmental principles and a passion for sustainability that are an integral part of its founders' lives.
Helping women learn more about money
Want to learn more about money? Financial education platform The Curve is here to help. Whether it's about the money you have now or the money you want to make, The Curve is a safe space for women to get investment-savvy, without the noise and confusion. Using their experience in finance and content creation, Victoria Harris and Sophie Hallwright want women to learn about investing in a way that makes sense to them and their lifestyle to close the gender gap in financial literacy.
"We are so excited to see a company the size of oOh! empower women in business on a national level. This is an awesome opportunity for us to shine light on our wāhine and all the hard work we all do. The Curve was inspired by the powerful women we were raised by, and we hope to do the same and remind women that they can do anything they set their minds too," said Victoria.
Empowering women in business
Founded by Rochelle Moffitt, Tickled Pink empowers women in business to own their brilliance, shape their reputation, make powerful connections, and define their legacy. Consider Rochelle your go-to personal brand and visibility coach. For Rochelle, branding is not just about strategy - it's about boosting your confidence to take center stage without hesitation. Tickled Pink makes sure women's brand stories aren't just told - they earn the standing ovation they deserve.
Supporting women's wellbeing
Through intentionally crafted supplements, Two Islands empowers women to take control of their wellness, look and feel great, and live a life brimming with energy. Two Islands is backed by Founder Julia Matthews' health science and nutrition background, and passion for nutrition, herbs and naturopathy.
Raising mental health awareness
Using their lived experiences, award-winning entrepreneurs Genevieve Mora and Jazz Thornton support people battling mental health problems through Voices of Hope. The organization's admirable mission helps removes shame around mental illness and shows that recovery is possible.
Combining corporate business and Māori worldview
Whare Village & PR weaves good wairua, te ao Māori and top level communications expertise together to form a dynamic agency ready to work with like-minded businesses. Whare PR combines passion with purpose while aligning values and cultural knowledge to help bring together the two worlds of corporate business and the Māori worldview.
Creating a sustainability gifting experience
Helen McLaren and Clare Gallaher are on a mission to end unwanted gift waste through With Impact, a start-up that harnesses the power of conscious gifting. With Impact works with sustainable and socially responsible brands to curate a brilliant selection of gifts that make a positive impact on the world. What's more, the company supports New Zealand charities, where gift recipients can choose to donate the value of their gift to a cause close to their heart.
Shaking up the traditional recruitment market
There truly is an app for everything. For jobseekers, serial entrepreneur Anna Mowbray offers a solution through ZEIL, where users can discover roles and apply for them in an innovative way. ZEIL is shaking up the traditional recruitment market - cool features include swipe right and left functions, employer direct messages, video cover letters, customized job recommendations, and story-style job descriptions.
Changing the face of the Out of Home industry
oOh!media is a pioneering media company changing the face of the Out of Home industry in Australia and New Zealand. oOh!media's extensive network of more than 37,000 digital and static asset locations includes roadsides, retail centers, airports, train stations, bus stops, office towers, cafes, bars, and universities.
As a business, oOh!media is passionate about making public space better, with a number of initiatives in place that add civic value to kiwis on their daily commute – from its Urban Art Foundation partnership through to our long-standing charity partnerships with the likes of Voices of Hope and Keep NZ Beautiful.
#InspireInclusion by supporting women-owned businesses
Inclusion can lead to innovation, and women worldwide are creating exciting new products and services. Show your support for women entrepreneurs to help society and the economy thrive.
International Women's Day is a great time to seek out women-owned businesses in your local area and raise their visibility.
Let's #InspireInclusion in business.