Ockham Lecture: Design guardianship with Anzac Tasker

Join us at Objectspace for an Ockham Lecture with designer, storyteller and cultural strategist, Anzac Tasker.

Tasker’s theory of design guardianship is grounded in the idea that design is more than creating, it is a responsibility to protect, uphold, and amplify the cultural, social, and environmental contexts that give design meaning.

Rather than treating design as a transaction or aesthetics, he positions it as a form of guardianship: caring for identity, values, and community narratives so they can thrive across generations. This approach invites designers to think like kaitiaki, ensuring their creative work contributes positively to people, place and all cultures.

Note: This event was originally scheduled for Thursday 25 September, and has been rescheduled for Thursday 2 October. Doors and drinks from 5.30pm, talk begins 6pm on Level 1 at Objectspace, 13 Rose Road, Grey Lynn.

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Anzac Tasker is a designer, storyteller, and cultural strategist from Aotearoa New Zealand. Grounded in his Māori heritage and upbringing on Waiheke Island, Anzac’s work sits at the intersection of identity, design, and narrative. He is the founder of Guardians, a design practice dedicated to shaping brands and experiences that honour culture, place, and people. Anzac has led projects spanning national tourism, energy, education, and cultural institutions. His approach blends deep cultural insight with contemporary design practice, helping organisations express their values with authenticity and vision. Anzac is particularly passionate about weaving Te Ao Māori perspectives into brand systems, architecture, and storytelling, ensuring that design does more than look good, but carries meaning, legacy, and responsibility.

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The Ockham Lecture series is an annual programme of lectures and panel discussions across different themes that critically engage with craft, design and architecture. This programme is supported by Objectspace's Lead Partner Ockham Residential.

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