Sixonenine Tapui Limited

What Sixonenine Tapui Limited does

SixOneNine (legal entity Sixonenine Tapui Limited) is a Māori and Pasifika-focused design agency headquartered in Te Atatu, Aotearoa New Zealand. Founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife team Phila Laguluga, a designer with roughly 15 years of advertising and branding experience, and Carmen Sutton, who leads business operations with a background in corporate research and strategy, the firm delivers brand identity, brand strategy, visual identity systems, websites, advertising campaigns, print and publication design, signage and environmental design, motion design and animation, illustration, pattern design, and cultural consultancy. Its differentiation is that the founders' Māori/Niuean heritage is positioned as a core capability, enabling culturally-grounded design work — tohu, tukutuku and kōwhaiwhai patterns, culturally-specific iconography — that the firm markets as 'decolonised' design for clients seeking authentic representation.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model, pricing each engagement by scope without publicly disclosed rate cards, and acquires work primarily through direct outreach, referrals, and personal networks rather than a structured digital or self-serve funnel. Service delivery is described as 'small and nimble,' with the core team augmented by an external network of cultural advisors, artists (including Graham Tipene), and creative specialists (Tatou, Stanley St, EightyOne). The client base spans central government (MBIE Te Ara Mahi Māori, Te Hiringa Hauora Safer Gambling Aotearoa), iwi and cultural trusts (Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust, Te Takiwā o Manukau), professional sports organisations (Moana Pasifika Super Rugby, Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa), and NGOs (Josiah Mika Foundation, Moana Research). All operations are within New Zealand with no international footprint evidenced, and the firm is entirely founder-owned and bootstrapped, with no external funding rounds disclosed.

SixOneNine is a private, founder-controlled NZ limited company with 1–10 employees, no subsidiaries, no parent company, no regulatory actions, and no M&A history. Its stated long-term vision extends beyond design services into mentorship, networking, and development opportunities for Māori and Pasifika talent, indicating a planned evolution into a broader cultural-talent platform as the firm scales.

Name

Sixonenine Tapui Limited

Legal name

Sixonenine Tapui Limited

Website

https://619.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SixOneNine is a New Zealand-based Māori and Pasifika-focused design agency founded in 2020, delivering brand identity, visual design, websites, and cultural consultancy to iwi, government, sports, and NGO clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Te Atatu

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Design and Branding Services: Project-based creative services including brand identity development, visual identity systems, website design, advertising campaigns, and collateral production. Revenue generated through individual client engagements with pricing based on project scope and complexity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sixonenine Tapui Limited (trading as SixOneNine) is a New Zealand–based creative design agency that provides brand identity, brand strategy, visual identity, website design and development, advertising, print, signage and environmental design, motion/animation, illustration, pattern design, and cultural design consultancy. The agency focuses on serving Māori and Pasifika clients and communities, embedding indigenous cultural perspective into its design work.

Product overview

SixOneNine is a Māori and Pasifika focused creative design agency, not a software product company. The agency offers brand identity and strategy, creative direction, visual identity design, website development, advertising campaigns, print and publication design, signage and environmental design, motion design and animation, illustration, and pattern design. The company's portfolio consists of client projects across brand identity, visual identity, websites, event collateral, merchandise, and cultural consultancy. Services are delivered through a nimble collaborative model, working with a network of specialists to deliver projects in branding, strategy, photography, printing, implementation, websites, and signage. Core service areas include Brand (Brand Identity, Brand Strategy, Campaigns, Concept Development, Cultural Consultancy, Content, Copywriting, Naming); Design (Books, Brochures, Print & Production, Publishing, Signage & Environmental, Exhibition design); Craft (Art Direction, Art Projects, Illustration, Objects, Pattern Design, 3D visualisation); and Media (Motion Design, Animation, Social Media, Websites, 3D Rendering & animation, Sound design).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Identity Design End-to-end brand identity creation covering logo, visual identity systems, and brand guidelines for organisations seeking to express or refresh their public identity.
• Brand Strategy Strategic positioning, messaging, and brand direction work that precedes and informs the visual identity output, typically delivered alongside identity design engagements.
• Website Design and Development Design and build of marketing and content websites for organisational clients, including responsive design and content structure.
• Cultural Design Consultancy Cultural advisory and design-direction service for organisations engaging with Māori and Pasifika communities, embedding te ao Māori and Pasifika cultural perspective into creative work.
• Advertising Campaign Design Conceptualisation, art direction, and design execution of advertising campaigns for client brands across channels.
• Print and Publication Design Layout and production design for printed publications such as reports, magazines, books, and marketing collateral.
• Signage and Environmental Design Design of physical signage, wayfinding, and environmental graphics for client sites and venues.
• Motion Design and Animation Animated and motion-graphic content supporting brand communications, campaign assets, and digital storytelling.
• Illustration and Pattern Design Custom illustration and pattern creation used across brand systems, editorial work, and campaign assets.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• TatousupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with SixOneNine on Safer Gambling Aotearoa project, contributing to the overall brand identity and campaign development.
• Stanley StsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partner on Safer Gambling Aotearoa brand identity project, providing additional creative and strategic capabilities.
• EightyOnesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvertising agency collaborator on Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa branding project, working alongside SixOneNine for league and franchise branding.
• Basketball New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body for basketball in New Zealand that partnered with SixOneNine and EightyOne to develop branding for the new Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa women's league.
• Carla HoflersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative contributor on Moana Pasifika brand development project.
• Jamie BrontesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative contributor on Moana Pasifika brand development project.
• Photosport NZsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography partner for Moana Pasifika brand and communications materials.
• Tama RatapusupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust visual identity refresh project.
• Ephraim RussellsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust visual identity refresh project.
• Mareikura BrightwellsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust visual identity refresh project.
• Graham TipenesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori artist who collaborated with SixOneNine on Safer Gambling Aotearoa brand identity, creating culturally authentic artwork.
• Skye KimurasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributor on Safer Gambling Aotearoa brand identity project.
• Sam CoxsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributor on Safer Gambling Aotearoa brand identity project.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Global design firm offering brand identity, visual design, and creative strategy. A broader incumbent in design services with similar identity and branding capabilities, but at much larger scale.
• Special Group: Major NZ creative advertising agency with broader portfolio spanning advertising, brand, and creative campaigns. A larger-scale incumbent in the same design/advertising services category SixOneNine operates in.
• Colenso BBDO: Major Auckland-based advertising and creative agency. A larger NZ incumbent offering brand, campaign, and creative services with documented Māori cultural work that overlaps SixOneNine's positioning.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design agency with capabilities in brand identity, cultural strategy, and visual design. A broader incumbent whose cultural branding work directly overlaps SixOneNine's positioning.

Direct peers

• Stanley St: NZ design agency that worked with SixOneNine on Safer Gambling Aotearoa. Similar boutique creative services profile with branding, identity, and campaign capabilities for NZ institutional clients.
• Alt Group: Award-winning Auckland-based design studio offering brand identity, cultural, and design strategy services. Comparable boutique creative services model serving New Zealand institutional and cultural clients.
• EightyOne: NZ creative/advertising agency that collaborated with SixOneNine on Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. Similar NZ market focus with overlap in branding and campaign work for cultural and institutional clients.
• Tatou: NZ creative agency that partnered with SixOneNine on Safer Gambling Aotearoa. Comparable boutique size and cultural/community focus, with overlap in brand identity and campaign delivery for NZ clients.
• Method: Auckland-based design and branding agency with comparable boutique profile, offering brand identity, strategy, and creative services in the NZ market with similar clientele overlap.

Regional players

• Indigenous Design Studio: Australia-based Indigenous-focused design studio with similar cultural-authenticity positioning to SixOneNine. Operates in an adjacent Pacific-region market with comparable mission and service offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sixoneninenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sixoneninenz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sixonenine Tapui Limited