Motion Sickness has been named Agency of the Year for Good and Independent Agency of the Year for Good at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The recognition follows the agency’s two Gold Lions for Whānau Ora’s ‘The Māori roll call’, including New Zealand’s first Gold Glass Lion and a Gold Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category.
The Glass Lion, one of the festival’s most prestigious honours, celebrates creative work that tackles systemic inequality and creates meaningful societal change. With just one Gold awarded globally this year, the win marks a historic first for New Zealand.
Meanwhile, The Sustainable Development Goals Lion, developed in partnership with the United Nations, recognises creative work delivering measurable progress towards the UN’s Global Goals.
Created for Whānau Ora and produced by Supernormal, with director Reagen Butler, ‘The Māori roll call’ encouraged Māori across Aotearoa to enrol on the Māori Electoral Roll ahead of a pivotal electoral period.
First haka at Cannes
The emotional high point came as Motion Sickness collected its Glass Lion at the Palais des Festivals’ Lumière Theatre, where head of Māori culture Kātene Durie-Doherty performed what is believed to be the first haka on the Cannes Lions stage before more than 2,000 people.
The haka honoured the Māori communities back home whose support and participation made the change possible, says Motion Sickness.
Earlier in the week, Durie-Doherty was also recognised by Cannes Lions as the festival’s global Champion of Good.
“People often talk about how far New Zealand is from the rest of the world,” says Durie-Doherty. “This week was a reminder that great ideas can close 18,780 kilometres pretty quickly.”
More than creative recognition
Sam Stuchbury, founder and executive creative director of Motion Sickness, says the awards reflected something much bigger than creative recognition.
“The best work transcends advertising, you don’t own it, people pick it up and it becomes part of culture. This work did this, it was about creating something that genuinely belonged to Māori communities and could help shape Aotearoa’s future.
“To see that recognised on the world’s biggest creative stage, and then to stand there while a haka echoed through the Lumière Theatre, is something none of us will ever forget. It made us very proud of our country, and we can’t wait to see everyone at home.”
A surprise honour
Motion Sickness’s wider shortlisted work includes Kathmandu’s ‘Outside your comfort zone’, Karangahape Road Business Association’s ‘Karangahape returns’ in Creative Commerce, and the New Zealand Herpes Foundation in Creative Effectiveness, adding to the agency’s overall points tally at the festival.
Stuchbury says: “Being named Agency of the Year for Good we never saw coming, they didn’t give us a heads up, so it was a very nice surprise.
“It recognises a body of work rather than a single campaign. The whole team made that happen. I think it sends a great signal about the type of company we’re building and the kind of problems we want to help solve.”
