Social Value Aotearoa (SVA) has launched a striking new campaign urging business and government leaders to rethink how value is defined and measured. At the heart of this initiative is a bespoke woolen blanket — not a decorative piece, but a functional and symbolic object crafted in partnership with Noa Blanket Co and brought to life by the creative agency Motion Sickness.
The campaign, titled No Blanket Value, challenges traditional metrics-based systems and invites decision-makers to engage in a deeper, more human-centered conversation about impact. The blanket, rooted in traditional Māori principles, acts as a tangible metaphor for dignity, responsibility, and connection — values often left out of spreadsheets and boardroom discussions.
“The point wasn’t to persuade, but to offer something to carry,” said Motion Sickness creative director Jordan Stent. “It’s not decorative, not sentimental, but something with a bit more weight in hand.” The design draws from Te Pā Harakeke, a Māori metaphor for intergenerational support, using structural elements such as tukutuku latticework and poutama stepping patterns to reflect collective growth and shared potential.
Rather than a static product, the blanket is designed to soften and evolve over time, mirroring the relationships and systems it seeks to influence. “It shifts, adapts, and takes form through how it’s held,” Stent added.
More than a visual centerpiece, the blanket is accompanied by a ledger — a living document listing those who commit to “measuring what truly matters.” This, according to SVA and Motion Sickness, reframes accountability in a way that reflects Indigenous values and challenges institutional norms.
Kātene Durie-Doherty, Kaitaunaki Māori at Motion Sickness, emphasized the intention behind every design decision: “This wasn’t a campaign where we could lean on polished comms or metaphor for metaphor’s sake. Every detail had to be deliberate — from the fibre to the ledger, to the way it’s accepted rather than gifted.”
The new brand identity, developed alongside the campaign, places an Aotearoa-centric design system front and center. It aims to build clarity and trust by focusing on people, place, and purpose — going beyond abstract jargon and centering lived experience.
Ultimately, the No Blanket Value campaign doesn’t aim to preach or convince. Instead, it gently disrupts the narrative and offers an invitation to lead differently — with empathy, care, and intention.
As Durie-Doherty concluded, “Less about telling someone what matters, and more about asking them to reckon with it.”
