Illustrations for MBIE's new guide to creating equitable systems of change.

A Guide to Just Transitions is a document commissioned by MBIE as a practical resource that would help communities and organisations to run their own just transition processes. Many factors are affecting the lives of New Zealanders, such as climate change, COVID-19, and economic changes. Sometimes, these factors will impact a region heavily enough that if not addressed may result in negative impacts on certain communities. So a concerted effort will be needed by communities to adapt and manage the impacts and take advantage of opportunities. The guide helps communities to make a successful transition - where regions can identify and then act upon new opportunities and manage the impacts in a way that’s just, equitable and fair. The desired outcome being oranga, or wellbeing for all.

The guide needed a suite of illustrations that would convey a warm, hopeful tone. The cover illustration symbolized a just transition, incorporating five essential factors: social, environmental, economic, climate, and generational justice. I framed the artwork with a rauru-inspired kōwhaiwhai motif, representing the convergence of these factors to produce new outcomes. I also produced an illustration for each of the five chapters in the report, which step chronologically through the process of designing a system of transition. Throughout these chapters, recurring characters were used to give an overarching narrative to the illustrations. Lastly I was asked to produce an additional illustration around the concept of matauranga Māori, which needed to incorporate eight different principles. Similarly to the cover, I created a rauru design that would frame different illustrated representations of the principles.

For the full suite of illustrations, I used pencil linework to add a softness to the art. The colours were largely pulled from the palette that had been developed for the guide, with additional colour taken from the MBIE brand guidelines. I used grainy textures and pencil highlights to colour the art, using warm highlights to evoke the feelings of sunrise and sunset, which became visual metaphors for the transition process.

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