Blog post by Emily Broadmore

While hosting a PRINZ workshop last week I used the term ‘Google it’ with the group, before feeling a sense of nostalgia for a phrase which will soon be obsolete. It is a term that defined my generation, and just like ‘Xerox it’, this phrase is going to fast become extinct.

Published by The Post, 20 July 2025

A new survey by the Retirement Commission, shared first with the Sunday Star-Times, reveals that financial confidence in retirement is worryingly low.

Victoria Crockford, director of the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness (CEWH), says homelessness among older women is a growing concern.

Blog post by Emily Broadmore

Last week we held our first ethics workshop about writing with AI at the Heft studio on Cuba Street where in Wellington. We were exploring the question of 'Who is the Author?' in our increasingly AI-integrated world. We've always operated with fluid definitions of authentic writing, but this issue is being raised increasingly in communications circles.  

Op-ed by Victoria Crockford for The Post, published 20 June.

Scrutiny Week is one of those political calendar moments that often flies under the radar - largely reserved for the politico-tragics. But this past week, it has found its way into the mainstream conversation through Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s insistent questioning of Associate Minister for Housing Tama Potaka on reports the Ministry of Social Development had denied emergency housing to women attempting to escape domestic violence because they had “contributed to their own homelessness”.

Books editor Claire Mabey talks with Emily Broadmore, who is behind a contentious AI workshop for creative writers, to try and understand the why of it.

Op-ed by Emily Broadmore for The Post, published 15 May

In a city renowned for its progressive bubble we turn a blind eye to Wellington's greatest hypocrisy: we congratulate ourselves on inclusivity while practising ruthless exclusion of divergent viewpoints.

When was the last time you genuinely engaged with someone whose political opinions fundamentally clash with yours?

Today's graduates and juniors aren't starting from zero - they're starting from "good enough." And "good enough" is the enemy of excellence. In this blog, Heft Director Emily Makere Broadmore discusses the emerging inequity between senior experts and young people in the workforce.  

"How many people work for you?" This is a question I get asked frequently. My response is always the same: "How many do you need?"

Read Vic's full thoughts on why, in a world of constant change, flexibility isn't just a business strategy—it's the ultimate competitive advantage.

Op-ed by Emily Broadmore published by The Press, 20 March 2025

The job market has flipped, and some employers are making the most of it. Just like the housing market, suddenly the buyers have all the power and they're not afraid to throw their weight around without thinking about tomorrow.

Heft is proud to announce the appointment of Sarah Johnson as ournew General Manager.   

Sarah steps into this leadership role with a mandate to drive Heft's continued growth, strengthen its position as a bold and strategic industry leader, and expand the firm's influence across New Zealand's communications landscape.

Companies must increase their productivity by ensuring both they and their consultants and service providers are all embracing AI for the easier work, says Emily Makere Broadmore in this opinion editorial for The Post.

We use AI to supercharge ideas, not create them. Think of it as a powerful implementation tool that comes after strategy, not before. This approach naturally protects client information because we're not feeding existing content into AI systems - we're using AI to help articulate and implement our strategic thinking.

Op-ed by Victoria Crockford published by The Spinoff, 3 February 2025.

Each of the government’s various economic growth policy announcements asks something, in some way, of Queenstown. But it may not have the answer the government – and the rest of the country – wants, writes Victoria Crockford.

Check out Heft’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Boost.

The professional landscape in consulting and communications has evolved drastically over the past twelve months, and as Heft has evolved with it our two Directors have also been shaking things up in the literary and social sectors. In this issue of The Boost we discuss market changes, celebrate wins and highlight key dates and events for our Heft community.

Published by the Otago Daily Times, 7 December 2024

A landmark New Zealand report into homelessness among women has been published. And it is horrifying, writes Kate Oktay.

Half the homeless population in New Zealand are women, indeed 50,000 women in Aotearoa define themselves as homeless.

"For too long, this has been an invisible issue," says Vic Crockford, director of the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, the organisation behind new research that reveals the scale of the problem.

"Understandably, people often think of men when they think of people experiencing homelessness, as we are often more likely to see a single man sleeping rough. In other countries that may be right, but not in New Zealand. In Aotearoa, it is half of the story.”

Interview with Victoria Crockford on RNZ, Nine to Noon, 6 December 2024.

A new report has found some homeless women find it safer to sleep on the streets than at a shelter.

The study outlines harrowing experiences of violence and abuse in emergency and transitional housing, as well as more broad inequities women face in the housing system.

A group of sector leaders were prompted to commission the research after seeing firsthand that support is largely designed with men in mind.

Vic Crockford is the former chief executive of Community Housing Aotearoa, and leads the Coalition to end Women's Homelessness.

Interview on RNZ Afternoons, 5 December 2024

There's lots of talk around finding unity around at the moment ... various politicians here and around the world are promising to bring people together.

But it seems like it's not really happening, in fact if any anything, it feels like the political divide between left and right is getting worse. An opinion piece in the Sunday Star Times just this weekend examined 

Titled Ending the echo chamber: How to find where left and right unite - was written by Emily Makere Broadmore. 

And Emily some interesting observations about why the left and right don't talk to each other anymore. 

Published by The Post, 5 December 2024.

Women make up more than half of Aotearoa’s homeless population but there are no national policies or frameworks specifically aimed at women who are unhoused.

The housing system was “effectively flying gender blind”, which led to a new report by the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, launched on Thursday.

“The world we currently live in is one where too many of our women are unhoused, unnoticed, and unsafe,” according to the report Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga – Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women's Homelessness in Aotearoa, commissioned by the coalition.

Published by Otago Daily Times, 2 December 2024.

Queenstown now has safe rooms available for victims of domestic violence.

The announcement was made at the 2024 Inspirational Women Awards and Gala for Women’s Refuge on Saturday night, which raised more than $23,000 for family violence victims in the Queenstown Lakes district.

Now in its third year, the event was founded by Julia Strelou, of Queenstown, to fundraise to establish a safe house in the district while also celebrating female change-makers — to date, it has raised almost $80,000 for Women’s Refuge Services and Central Lakes Family Services.