Te Arahanga

We were asked to create an online platform where Te Arahanga could offer their environmental management services and an online learning solution for Taiao Management students, who could register to be part of the course offered by Te Arahanga.

As an established business generating revenue through environmental management services, Te Arahanga were looking to expand their offering and educate a younger demographic through online learning and development. Te Arahanga didn’t have an existing website or design style to build upon, we were only provided with a logo as a starting point, they needed our help to conceptualise the design direction.

We started with research and planning which was a large part of the initial phase of the project we needed to make the platform as streamlined as possible without incorporating too many additional plugins and assets that could potentially slow the site down. After figuring out what plugins and additional functionality were required we created the Website Architecture document, which mapped the site structure and how users would interact with the website, this helped us determine the project plan and development roadmap to achieve the deadline discussed with Te Arahanga.

The design phase started with creating the look and feel for the company that incorporated Maori cultural elements to highlight the focus Te Arahanga has on cultural heritage within the Taiao Management context, as well as creating the layout and structure for two distinct user types. These two user types were the student who would look to register online for the online course in Taiao Management, the other being the businesses or organisations looking for Taiao (Environmental) Management services. We had to make sure that the design spoke to both audiences, to look both professional and credible as an online learning platform.

We then developed the site utilizing the design aspects and building the functionality required for the students and site visitors, incorporating the LMS (learning management system) and building the courses within the CMS (content management system). There were some challenges with the workflow of how a student would register, and be activated as they needed to be approved before they were given access to the course. This resulted in further development and creating appropriate email notifications for the student and course managers with an approval system that required a manager to log in and approve each student.

The site was delivered to Te Arahanga on time and on budget, Te Arahanga has now been able to offer it’s courses to students throughout New Zealand with the support of many Iwi.