Last Word

20/05/2025

At Last Word, we’re often so busy creating content for clients that we forget to celebrate our own successes ✍️

But a recent project crafting case studies to showcase different regional tourism organisations' approaches to destination-management is one we just had to share.

The case studies showcase the new wave of destination-management plans being put into action across Aotearoa to ensure tourism growth works in support of our people, places and culture, benefiting the many, rather than the few. That’s what we call meaningful work. 💚🌴😁

Check out the case studies here: https://rtnz.org.nz/destination-management-in-new-zealand/ 👈

30/04/2025

The mission was clear: secure nationwide media exposure for Civil Contractors New Zealand’s National Excavator Operator Competition, being held to determine who would claim the country’s ultimate digger drive accolade. 👷👷‍♀️

The year made history with three female regional champions going bucket-to-bucket with the rest of the best in an excavator ‘battle royale’ like no other – demonstrating the changing demographic of the people doing critical work to maintain and develop New Zealand’s civil infrastructure.

Last Word crafted a captivating national media release and carefully customised it for regional media outlets, leading to widespread coverage across the full spectrum of print media, online media, radio and television ✍🏻

We were proud to play a part in boosting the profile of a crucial celebration of our country’s unsung heroes, and to see Hawke's Bay East Coast's regional champion Tanya Claxton interviewed on TVNZ Breakfast was fantastic.

🗞️30+ online and print news articles
📻6 radio interviews
📺1 TV news item
😁1 happy client

“Last Word delivered regional and national media coverage once more with flair. The team’s support was positive and proactive, and enabled us to get television, newspaper and radio coverage across the country in a way that built the profile of New Zealand’s national excavator operator competition.”

- Fraser May, Communications and Advocacy Manager, Civil Contractors New Zealand.

27/01/2025

Email is part of everyday business life, but writing the perfect one is an art. Whether you're contacting a client, collaborating with colleagues, or asking your boss for a favour, the right email can open doors, build relationships, and make people help you. But with inboxes overflowing and attention spans dwindling, how do you make sure your emails stand out?

In our perennial quest to improve the way we, and others, communicate, we’ve collated seven simple yet powerful techniques you can use to elevate your email game and craft messages people read and act on. Master them and you'll transform your emails from dusty inbox clutter into powerful professional tools that build relationships, drive action, and get results! 📧💻 🏆

Read the blog: https://lastwordmedia.co.nz/blog/seven-ways-to-write-the-perfect-professional-email

Email is part of everyday business life, but writing the perfect one is an art. Whether you're contacting a client, collaborating with colleagues, or asking your boss for a favour, the right email can open doors, build relationships, and make people help you. But with inboxes overflowing and attenti

05/03/2024

Last Word’s team of communication connoisseurs have carefully compiled seven habits displayed by effective communicators.

From the necessity of a strong start, to the power of charm, to the significance of non-verbal communication, we humbly offer a choice selection of communication habits we think could help you become a more effective communicator 🤓

Could the art of communication stake a claim as the catalyst that has propelled humanity from lowly beginnings to the heights of modern civilisation? Communication offers us the tools of reasoned argument, demonstration of expertise, and emotional engagement to persuade and influence others. The ab

04/09/2023

Across the world a shadowy network of editorially assiduous superheroes lie in wait, poised to pounce on public grammar and punctuation injustices in a bid to make the world’s public communications correct, clearer and more meaningful.

In Bristol, UK the “Banksy of punctuation” stalks the streets at night wielding his “apostrophiser” to address apostrophe errors on street signs and shop fronts. Closer to home a verbal vigilante wanders Whanganui with editorial intent, seizing opportunities to restore sense to signs.

In our quest to promote the power of plain language we secured an exclusive interview with Auckland’s grammatic fanatic - the self-styled Typo Tiger of Freemans Bay - to uncover the man behind the mask and discover what drives him to target typos… 🐯

Across the world a shadowy network of editorially assiduous superheroes lie in wait, poised to pounce on public grammar and punctuation injustices in a bid to make the world’s public communications correct, clearer and more meaningful. In Bristol, UK the “Banksy of punctuation” stalks the stre...

19/07/2023

Shane Wilson is one of the original links in the creative chain that is Last Word, with international experience flavouring his versatile design work. His obsession with artistic expression has led him to excel in a range of formats: from logos to line art landscapes and from paintings to product design 🎨

To plumb the depths of the unique creative character that is Shane, the Last Word team put five questions to him. Read on to find out the best piece of advice he’s ever been given, his desert island disc pick, and what entrance song he would choose if he was a wrestler.

QUESTION 1: We know you’ve lived all over the world, where’s your favourite place to live and what makes it so special?

I’ve lived in Hawke's Bay (I grew up there), Wellington, Palmerston North, Adelaide and London. Hawke's Bay would have to be my favourite place to live as the quality of life is so good and the weather is top notch.

QUESTION 2: If you were marooned on an island with only one album to listen to what would it be?

Nostalgica - a Spotify playlist I've been building for almost 15 years now. It’s mostly a mix of old songs from 60s, 70s and a few from the 80s. Search it up - I've made it public.

QUESTION 3: With your background in the fitness industry what’s one key change that you think people can do that will improve their overall health the most?

Diet for sure. Focus on a healthy and balanced diet and this will benefit you in many other facets of your life.

QUESTION 4: If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?

Pistol Grip Pump by Rage Against the Machine.

QUESTION 5: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Eat the crust on your toast - it'll make your chest hair grow.

12/07/2023

The mission was clear: secure nationwide media exposure for Civil Contractor New Zealand’s National Excavator Operator Competition, being held to determine the country’s “Top Dug” ultimate digger driver 👷

The stakes were higher than ever this year as the competition was charged with raising awareness of the vital work excavator operators were playing in the cyclone recovery effort, as well as their usual critical development and maintenance of New Zealand’s infrastructure.

Last Word crafted a captivating national media release and carefully customised it for regional media outlets, leading to widespread coverage across the full spectrum of printed media, online media, radio and television ✍🏻

We were proud to play a part in boosting the profile of a crucial celebration of our country’s unsung heroes.

💻15 online news features
🗞️14 print features
📻3 radio features
📺1 TV feature
😊1 happy client

“𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘊𝘕𝘡 𝘊𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢."
- Fraser May, Communications and Advocacy Manager, Civil Contractors New Zealand.

Civil Contractors New Zealand

21/03/2023

Kelly Watts is one of the creative cornerstones of the Last Word team, bringing extensive design experience and pictorial panache to the table. She loves intertwining her strong communication and marketing skills with design awesomeness to bring brands’ personalities to life 🙂

To shine some light on Kelly’s sparkling creative skills (and personality) the Last Word team put five questions to her. Read on to find out just how deep her identification with Harry Potter characters goes, why her favourite design job led to her cave-abseiling, and what her proudest achievement is.

QUESTION 1: What is your favourite ever design job?

While I have been fortunate to work on a vast range of rewarding projects, one of my favourite design jobs would have to be a website I designed for an adventure tourism company in Waitomo. The satisfying aspect of this project, whilst also challenging, was crafting an online experience that captured and embodied the indescribable experience of these epic adventures. A massive perk was that they sent me on their cave-abseiling adventure for inspiration which definitely assisted the creative process!

QUESTION 2: We know you’re a Harry Potter fan. Which Hogwarts house would you belong to and why?

I want to think I'm a Ravenclaw with wisdom and wit, but I think I'm really a Gryffindor at heart - determined, stubborn and challenging of authority.

QUESTION 3: What have you achieved that you are most proud of, and why?

I think I am most proud of the wide-reaching skills and knowledge I have developed over my career and I have achieved them by consistently being up for a challenge and having the inclination to try new things. The branding and marketing field is absolutely enormous, but there's not a lot that I don't have some experience with which has made for an incredibly diverse and enjoyable career to date.

QUESTION 4: Work is over for the day. What are you most likely to be doing in your spare time?

Whilst I would normally say yoga and reading fantasy novels, my spare time at the moment largely consists of preparing for the birth of my first baby so antenatal classes, parenting books and assembling baby furniture!

QUESTION 5: If you were ship wrecked on a deserted island, what type of dessert would you take with you?

I'm obsessed with Chelsea Winter's white chocolate and berry cheesecake but I'd make it gluten-free because I have Coeliac Disease.

31/01/2023

As the effects of the monumental rainfall event in the North Island unfold, we at Last Word hope everyone stays as safe as possible.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Radio NZ over the weekend that “there may have been some incorrect decisions” after being criticised for not calling a State of Emergency earlier on Friday night. He’s also faced considerable criticism from many quarters for some of his comments made in the aftermath.

The whole affair highlights how crucial it is for leaders to communicate effectively in the event of a crisis. In almost all cases, it’s hard to overstate the importance of communicating early and often. And of course it’s important to follow the golden rules of crisis communications - be authentic, show empathy and if you do make a mistake own up quickly and let people know what will be done to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Auckland's mayor says lessons have been learned following the region's highest ever rainfall over 24 hours, which left four people dead and forced hundreds of people out of their homes.

25/01/2023

We’re thrilled to welcome John De La Hughes to the Last Word team. He joined us earlier this month and is already helping some of our clients achieve great things with his writing and communications skills 🤓

He’s an interesting character too! Fans of combat sports may have seen him as the ring announcer at events around New Zealand, he’s a qualified yoga instructor and public speaking coach, and he has met the mysterious street-artist Banksy during his time in the UK.

To welcome him on board, we put six questions to him from the Last Word team. Read his answers below!

QUESTION 1: What are you reading at the moment and what book would you recommend above all others?

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey - the classic guide to the mental side of peak performance. I’d recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, because of its practical advice about life underpinned by mysticism.

QUESTION 2: Where did you grow up? And what will you be doing at Last Word?

I’m Wellington born, and partially bred. I landed in Reading, UK at age 11 with the family, went to university in Bristol at age 19, returned to Wellington in 2010 - haven’t finished growing up quite yet. At Last Word I’ll be primarily writing media releases, newsletter and website articles, blogs and social media content (I think!).

QUESTION 3: What's the best and worst example of public speaking you have ever seen?

Worst: an ex-CEO of a large Australasian insurer who would look down mid-sentence and pause to read his notes, before looking up to deliver lines that he clearly wasn’t familiar with and didn’t care about.

Best: an introverted ex-colleague’s leaving speech delivered straight from the heart which told a humble, but great story, was funny and short, and ended by quoting Shakespeare with “To thine own self be true”.

QUESTION 4: What is your favourite font, and why?

My favourite font is Bauhaus 93 because the wonderful Wall of Sound records used it on their record covers. I won’t be using it for emails though.

QUESTION 5: If police arrested you with no explanation, what would your family and friends assume you had done?

A question that could lead to so many more questions! Apparently, the assumption would be that I had disturbed the peace by playing drum and bass records too loud.

QUESTION 6: Who is the most famous person you have met?

Banksy – I was introduced to him in a pub in Bristol in as “the artist currently designing record covers for Wall of Sound records”. This was in 2001 before he was so famous. He is an extremely forgettable person and I’m sure he likes it that way.

16/01/2023

Shocked by reports of a VSNA (Very Seedy New Acronym) late last year we decided to confront the dark side of corporate jargon and write a blog post highlighting the power of plain language.

To kick off 2023 we expose the worst users of English, explain how plain language can promote a positive working environment, and give some simple tips to help you maintain a plain language approach in the workplace.

A friend I spoke with over Christmas passed on a hilarious story about a media enquiry one of their colleagues working for a New Zealand agency received recently. The journalist’s query, “do you have TWATS?”, took the recipient off guard and no doubt resulted in a few double takes. However, af...

06/10/2022

When the sun is shining and your Friday morning task is proofreading an industry white paper, the outdoor office beckons!