For all those who need motivation for their New Year's Resolutions, here is one I started nearly twenty years ago. It ended up being one hell of a year and has helped me have some epic adventures. So, if you are looking at what to do in 2025, I say go BIG!
__
Interview from CLOSE UP on @tvnz.official about my Comfort Zone Challenges in 2007.
"Chris resolved to spend 2006 stepping out of his comfort zone. Each week, without fail, he set himself two challenges. Some were as simple as milking a cow or learning to reverse a trailer. But others a little scarier (and hairier), like having a chest wax. Jendy Harper joined the daredevil for his final challenge."
#newyears #newyearsresolutions
10 Years
10 Projects
10 Things
10 Stories
I hit the 10 year mark at @strategycreative a month or so ago. Great to look back on a few of my faves from the last decade.
Massive day. Fantastic result. Career highlight. Still can't believe that we won a wood pencil in the D&AD Awards for Te Anau Time. Speechless 🥳 🥂 r. 😃 🏆
The Covid-19 pandemic had decimated the global tourism industry. In New Zealand, a once-popular destination called Te Anau was ready to give up. It needed a way to reconnect with Kiwi travellers, especially those in Auckland, and encourage people to visit once lockdowns were over.
Te Anau has an extra hour of daylight compared to Auckland, and by not turning the clocks back in April for Daylight Savings, it effectively created a bespoke time zone for Te Anau. The idea was to show that there is so much to do at Te Anau that people need an extra hour of daylight to see it all.
It's been a good month for running. I had awesome fun pacing at the @christchurchmarathon with the @dgrs_nz crew. We nailed the 1h 50 pacing perfectly.
Also managed to tick off my #150 parkrun & #50 volunteer @hagley.parkrun on the same weekend.
On to the next one 🚀.
A range of posters from @mateactnow .
“The breadth and variations of responses in this initiative are both heartwarming (from a design-nerd POV) to eye-opening...as per its real intention, highlighting environmental damage. Extremely well-curated and planned out - the variation of responses is a great gauge as to where we are a nation of designers and what we have to say.” — Kātoitoi, the Aotearoa Design Archive 2020
——
@tinatouli@mgiesser@grafik.nz@loveandmoney.agency@manual_creative@keenasfolk@studiodbd@johnjcuster@tsieske
Chris Flack
@chris_flack
Type Here Judge 2026
Chris Flack is Design Director at renowned design agency Strategy Creative in Ōtautahi Christchurch. His career has taken him from one side of the world to the other. Along the way, he helped put a small New Zealand town on the map by creating a new time zone and launched TEDx in New Zealand by exploding over 1,000 ping-pong balls. He’s also rebranded Christmas, convinced the design world to embrace Comic Sans (for a good cause), and made statistics funny enough to get Dunedin talking. His recent project, Mate Act Now, used a digital protest to spark conversation about climate action. His work has appeared everywhere from Mashable to Creative Review, and his designs are exhibited at the Mexican Museum of Design.
The Yeah Nah Scale
Finalist
Type Here 2025
My kids saw these on my computer and said Dad those are cool. What are they? I told them these were animations made by people around the word to help highlight climate change. They were made a few years ago but are still as relevant today.
My kids think they are awesome so I thought I’d share them again for Earth Day 2026. Enjoy.
A few animations from @mateactnow
—
Volatile by @dia_studio
—
It’s Time by @omglord
The reality is that time is no longer ticking. Our world clock has run out, and we need to act now.
—
As Greta Thunberg said, our house is on fire. This is a black and white, life or death emergency. We need to act now before time runs out.’
by @zoehudesign
—
Life or Death by Berger & Föhr
@bergerfohr
Visit mateactnow.com to view and share the posters.⠀
⠀ ⠀
#mateactnow #climatechange #earthday
Actions Speak Louder Than Posters.
@mateactnow - throw back to 2020.
‘The posters tackle the looming climate crisis, reminding people of the urgency of addressing it, and changing our behaviour to do so.’
Emma Tucker @creativereview , 2020
—
Visit mateactnow.com to view and share the posters.⠀
Great to see the printed @communicationarts Design Annual from last year. Pretty cool seeing all the work I judged (and my comments) actually in a book.
Went through hundreds of entries across print, posters, packaging, student work + some clever bits of tech. Heaps of range in both ideas and execution.
If you want to read what I wrote, the link’s in the bio.
"One day someone will tell our kids, 'You’re just like your parents.' It’s up to us to make sure that’s not an insult."
I saw this quote on a friend’s Facebook page a couple of days ago, and it summed up this hike we did just before school started for the year. A “boys” trip with the kids and the big kids (myself and Jürg).
An overnight trek to celebrate Benny turning five just before the boys started school.
We were told by multiple sources that it was an easy hike. It definitely wasn’t. But the kids didn't mind they just kept on walking and helping each other out along the way. About 8km in, just near the hut, there’s a fun rock climb down a 3m wall of rocks using tree roots, which the kids absolutely loved.
Then a night at a small hut with loads of sandflies (but also great food and a fire in the fire pit). Definetly an adventure for all of us.
Anti-Crow Hut
8(ish)km in (about 4 hours).
3.5 hours out.
The kids (old and young) loved it!
