By Zahra Shahtahmasebi

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Vanessa Sheldrick and Paul Bowden are super excited about their new event, The Worthies. A celebration of the public and non-profit sector, the inaugural conference and awards show will be held in March 2026.

Paul Bowden knows all about silos in the public sector.

After seven years as head of economic & community development at the South Waikato District Council, he started to envision a community that brings these industry professionals together to share and learn from each other.

It’s a dream he’s bringing to life with his wife, TV and events guru Vanessa Sheldrick, with a new one-day conference called The Worthies.

“So often people are working in isolation… They still need to be with each other – and creative people more than most. You don’t look in the mirror and give yourself a big thumbs up, do you?” says Sheldrick.

What is The Worthies?

Held at Parliament on March 5, it will feature eight keynote speakers. The line-up so far includes creative leader David Shing, who works with global brands such as LVMH and Nike.

Then, it will roll into an awards show recognising work and campaigns from across the public and not-for-profit sectors.

The awards open on October 6, and apply to any work commissioned or executed by a public sector entity or their agencies. There’s an eligibility period of 18 months, from the start of 2024 through to November 2025.

There are 20 categories with gold, silver and bronze to be awarded in each one.

As for the title, The Worthies, it just made sense. “It’s award worthy, it’s worthy work they do,” says Sheldrick. “It’s worthwhile and it has meaning, but also it’s warm and fuzzy.”

A shared toolbox

The marketing industry is already full of awards shows, but this is specific to the public and non-profit sectors, an often unappreciated area, says Bowden.

But, people in the sector are motivated by doing good. “They could quite easily go and work in the private sector and earn potentially more money, but you do it because you want to do something that’s meaningful and actually makes a difference to the lives of your fellow citizens.”

He adds that his time in local government brought home just how difficult it is to make change stick – whether it is for health, employment or housing outcomes.”

Not just another awards show

Inspiration came when Bowden looked at the creative conferences Sheldrick runs.

He realised that marketing and communications professionals all use the same tools – whether they’re trying to get someone to change channels, buy a new watch, drive slower or eat healthier.

The opportunity became clear to them both: bring creative minds together and create a community for the public sector to learn, unlearn, grow and have more impact.

“The fragmentation of audiences means it becomes more and more difficult to get messages across to those communities of interest. Therefore we have to become more effective. It’s not a choice,” says Bowden.

“New Zealand can’t afford to manage negative outcomes, through a ‘curative’ approach, so to speak. It’s much better for both people and budgets to adopt preventative behaviours, be it road safety or healthcare.”

“So, The Worthies has meaning behind it, it’s not just another award. We are specific around the public sector, charities and NGOs because we want that area to be part of a community and to shine.”

Some work is already training a spotlight on the sector. Motion Sickness’ campaign for the New Zealand Herpes Foundation won big at the Cannes Lions Festival Creativity this year, says Sheldrick.

A seismic shift

She also speaks to the seismic shift occurring in the TV industry. Career professionals with 20 years’ experience are being laid off or facing a vastly different landscape.

“At the heart of what they do, they’re storytellers. So they are moving into the public sector and suddenly they are doing these creative campaigns, something that matters.

“They’re coming up with interesting, unusual ways to gain people’s attention. Communication is ultimately all about reaching the people. If you were entering Cannes, you are up against the bigwigs, but a great idea will always shine – it doesn’t matter how big or small the budget is.”

Building networks

Two years in the making, The Worthies has been met with nothing but positive feedback from the sector and Bowden and Sheldrick are excited to see it come to life.

They already have plans to expand into Australia, the UK and host regular events in Aotearoa.

“Once people have started meeting and connecting, it’s an opportunity for them to build those networks,” says Bowden. “You realise the problems are the same, and you share ideas, share connection.”