The D*List

What The D*List does

The D*List is an independent, disability-led charitable trust (CC60975) registered in New Zealand and headquartered at a Community Hub in Kingsland, Auckland. It operates a multi-medium content platform hosted at thedlist.co.nz, publishing disability culture content across three modalities — Read (articles), Watch (video), and Listen (podcast, including the fortnightly live Crip Café series) — alongside a programme of free community events such as Laughter Yoga, Crip Poetic poetry nights, zine workshops, games nights, and community markets. The organisation also runs the Community Reporters Programme, a mentorship cohort supporting six disabled storytellers, and operates a small branded merchandise store.

The platform is built around accessibility-first design, offering high contrast mode, NZSL interpretation, captions on video, transcripts on audio, and audio versions of written content. Its content slate explicitly centres Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with a dedicated Te Ao Māori content category and intersectional coverage of autistic, Deaf, disabled, queer, and Pacific experiences. Distribution is entirely free to end users via the website, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a weekly email newsletter called The D*List Delivered.

The D*List is funded by philanthropic grants from a concentrated collective of foundations — Foundation North, JR McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation, and Spectrum Foundation — with additional community and government support such as the Albert-Eden Local Board. There are no paid products, subscriptions, or commercial distribution channels; merchandise sales are the only identified earned-income line. The target audience is disabled and tāngata whaikaha people in Aotearoa, alongside their whānau, carers, and allies, served across the Auckland, Wellington, and Bay of Plenty regions under Executive Director Red Nicholson.

Name

The D*List

Legal name

The D*List

Website

https://thedlist.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The D*List is a New Zealand charitable trust that publishes disability culture content across web, video, and podcast formats and runs free community events from its Kingsland, Auckland hub, serving disabled people and their whānau in Aotearoa through philanthropic grant funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Media and Community Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Disability-led media
• Community storytelling
• Accessibility-first publishing
• Community event programming
• Disability advocacy content

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic grant funding: The D*List is a registered charitable trust (CC60975) funded by a collective of philanthropic trusts and foundations. The trusts provide resources to fund content production, events, community programmes, and operational costs. This is the primary revenue stream for the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The D*List is a disability-led content publishing and community platform that produces editorial stories, video, and podcasts about disability culture in Aotearoa New Zealand. It runs a physical Community Hub in Kingsland, Auckland that hosts free community events (Crip Café podcast, Crip Poetic poetry nights, Laughter Yoga, zine workshops, games nights, markets), mentors disabled storytellers through the Community Reporters Programme, and distributes content through a newsletter, social media, and a merchandise shop.

Product overview

The D*List is a disability-led social change movement and content platform that serves as the home of disability culture in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The core offering is the D*List website platform featuring Stories (News, Our Voices, Culture, Series) across multiple content formats including written articles, video, and podcasts. Key sub-products and programmes include Crip Café (a fortnightly live podcast series), Te Ao Māori (indigenous-focused content), the Community Reporters Programme (a storytelling mentorship initiative), the Community Hub (physical community space and events venue), The D*List Delivered (weekly newsletter), and an Events Programme (Laughter Yoga, Zine workshops, Games nights, Crip Poetic, and other community gatherings). The organisation also operates a Shop for branded merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The D*List Website
• Crip Café
• Community Reporters Programme
• The D*List Community Hub
• The D*List Delivered
• Events Programme
• D*List Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 people engaged in Project Mobilise co-design process in 2021

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Te Kāhui Tika Tangata: NZ Human Rights CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with Curative to lead the Project Mobilise co-design process in 2021, engaging over 200 people to explore attitudes towards disability. This process gave rise to The D*List. The NZ Human Rights Commission's tāngata whaikaha leadership rōpū guided the foundational work.
• Curative (creative agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Creative agency that co-led Project Mobilise with the NZ Human Rights Commission in 2021, which resulted in The D*List being created as an independent disability-led social change movement.
• Albert-Eden Local BoardminorOthersProvided support for the Matariki Market event hosted at Melville Cricket Pavilion.
• Recreate NZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe D*List had a stall at Recreate NZ's Illuminate Market, a community event championing creativity and individuality of young people with diverse abilities.
• Disabled Queer Alliance (DQA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosted a 'Decorate your Mobility Aid' event with Disabled Queer Alliance at The D*List Community Hub, open to all disabled and rainbow community members.
• Sailability AucklandminorOthersReferenced in a story about Gareth Lynch, who sails independently through Sailability Auckland's hoist system and adapted boats. The D*List amplifies disability community access stories.
• Wellington Pride FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe D*List had a stall at Out in the City, the Wellington Pride Festival's all-day fair event celebrating 40 years since the Gay & Lesbian Fair.
• Bookish Ceremony (queer book club)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborated on a queer disabled edition of the Bookish Ceremony book club event, held at Electric Ceremony venue in Auckland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ABC Ramp Up: Australian Broadcasting Corporation's disability-focused content hub. Comparable in editorial focus on disability, but distributed through a major national broadcaster rather than as an independent disability-led movement.
• BBC Ouch: Long-running BBC disability podcast and online community. Comparable as established disability storytelling media, but operates as part of a mainstream public broadcaster rather than as an independent, disability-led organisation.

Direct peers

• Be. Accessible: New Zealand accessibility-focused organisation producing content, community programmes and advocacy around disability inclusion. Directly comparable as a NZ-based, mission-driven accessibility media and community platform.
• Attitude (Attitude magazine / Media): New Zealand-based disability media brand publishing content on disability lifestyle, culture and accessibility. Closest local peer as it operates in the same disability-led media category in Aotearoa, sharing audience and storytelling mission with The D*List.
• Disability Visibility Project: US-based disability-led storytelling community founded by activist Alice Wong, producing podcasts, essays and an online book. Strong direct comparable: disability-led, multi-format storytelling platform centred on authentic representation.
• IHC New Zealand: One of NZ's largest disability advocacy and service organisations, referenced in The D*List's own content. Comparable as a New Zealand disability-focused organisation spanning advocacy, community programmes and content.
• Rooted in Rights: US disability-led media organisation producing video, editorial and social content about disability justice. Comparable as a disability-led storytelling and advocacy media platform serving a defined community.
• People First New Zealand: NZ disabled people's self-advocacy organisation amplifying the voices of people with learning disabilities. Comparable mission to The D*List in centering disabled-led voice and storytelling within Aotearoa.
• Changing the Narrative (Australia): Australian disability-led media and storytelling initiative focused on shifting disability representation. Comparable as a regional disability-led storytelling platform addressing ableism in media.
• Sins Invalid: US disability justice performance and media organisation centring queer, disabled, and people of colour. Comparable as a disability-led cultural and media platform producing community events and content from an explicit disability-justice lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheDListNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thedlist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 The D*List